Last week, Robert Davis was chosen to fill the Hemet Unified School District board’s vacancy, which occurred when former Trustee Joe Wojcik resigned in August.
Photo by Alexandrea Sponheim
Davis was chosen 4-2 to complete the remainder of Wojcik’s term that ends December 2018. Ten other individuals submitted interest in the seat, although not all came to the Tuesday, Sept. 19, board meeting for interviews.
While President Vic Scavarda said the quality of all the applicants impressed him, he and Trustee Gene Hikel voted for Karina Zermeno.
Nevertheless, “I am looking forward to working with Rob Davis and I value his legal expertise. He has a long history of involvement in the valley and I am sure that he will be an asset to the board,” Scavarda wrote in an email. Davis is an attorney and senior partner in the same firm as Wojcik.
Zermeno’s extensive community involvement and business connections were attractive to Scavarda. He added about all the candidates, “It was an amazing display of skills, experience, and talents, and it’s unfortunate that we were only able to choose one replacement. It was not an easy decision by any means.”
The trustees who voted for Davis were Patrick Searl, Horacio Valenzuela, Megan Haley and Stacey Bailey.
Besides Davis, the terms of trustees Valenzuela, Haley and Scavarda will expire in December 2018. More than a year before the election, Scavarda said, “… a lot can happen in a year, but … I think I would like to continue to represent our kids and community on the board for another term. I think the district is headed in a good direction, and it is gratifying to be part of the process.”
