Pruett wins close school election
"Well, it’s a little overwhelming right now. I’m
just looking forward to getting started in my new role."
Kathy Pruett, Election winner
By TRAVIS PURSER
Express Staff Writer
Receiving 135 votes, Hailey resident Kathy Pruett was
elected Tuesday to a seat on the Blaine County School District Board of
Trustees. She beat challenger Mark Gasenica, who received 119 votes.
A
bank of volunteers guides Erin Resko, daughter of Wood River High School
principal Bill Resko, through the voting process Tuesday. Express photo by
Willy Cook
Pruett celebrated with her family and friends at her home
after polls closed at 8 p.m. In a telephone call, she said, "Well, it’s
a little overwhelming right now. I’m just looking forward to getting
started in my new role."
School board clerk Cathy Zaccardi said there were a total
of 255 ballots cast, with Pruett getting 53 percent and Gasenica getting
47 percent. One ballot was spoiled when a voter wrote in "Tom
Hansen," who was not registered as a write-in candidate. Nine
absentee ballots were cast.
Kathy Pruett
"Quite surprising and pleasingly enough, people
turned out to vote," Zaccardi said. Most elections have less than 100
ballots cast. Zaccardi attributed the increase to the candidates’ strong
campaigning.
"We were really trying to get the vote out,"
said Gasenica from his campaign headquarters at a friend’s house, where
he said he and others had made about 75 campaign calls on Tuesday. Even
though he lost, "We’re doing pretty okay. It was actually a fun
evening."
Mark Gasenica
Pruett and Gasenica were vying for a seat zone 3, covering
the north side of Hailey and a portion of the county. Incumbent Janet
Askew vacates the seat in July.
In zone 1, in the southern part of the county, the
unchallenged incumbent Howard Royal was officially confirmed to another
three-year term on May 11. There are five seats on the board.
