Incumbent Marin Community College trustees hold on to seats
The two incumbent members of the Marin Community College District who faced challengers in Tuesday’s election will hold on to their seats.
Stephanie O’Brien, the incumbent in Trustee Area 7 representing western Marin and part of Novato, was challenged for reelection by Ross Millerick, the soon-to-be-retired member of the Novato Unified School District board of trustees. When all the ballots on hand had been counted Tuesday, O’Brien had 60.87% of the vote; Millerick had 39.13% of the vote.
In Trustee Area 2, which covers much of the northern San Rafael area, appointed incumbent trustee Crystal Martinez was challenged by Mila Schechter, who listed her occupation as “retired ecologist fellow.” The Area 2 seat was formerly held by longtime incumbent Philip Kranenburg, who declined to seek reelection.
When all of the available ballots had been counted, Martinez had 82.19% of the vote; Schechter had 17.81% of the vote.
O’Brien, who has won a fifth term on the board, runs a consulting business that focuses on capital improvement programs for community colleges throughout the state. Millerick is the director of technology management for Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
Martinez, who is of Native American descent, said she was running because she sees community college as “a powerful equalizer, offering accessible pathways to opportunity at every stage of life.”
Schechter earned a master of science in physical chemistry from Rostov University in Russia specializing in water pollution and environmental research. Her career included a stint investigating water resource management at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. She now leads educational programs in several Jewish institutions in the Bay Area.