Warner, Johnson, Dukes Top School Vote

Another vote was gained by what is regarded as the Ann Arbor Board of Education's Conservative bloc as a result of Monday's school election which seated Clarence Dukes and re-elected incumbents Cecil Warner and Henry Johnson, all to three-year board terms. Warner, who served as board president during the last year and voted with the "conservative bloc," received the highest number of votes with a total of 8,045. According to Warner, the number one problem facing the board is financing. "During the next three years as the state changes and cuts its programs and financial arrangements for the local districts, we must restructure our own programs to fit our budget," he said. "We must take a real hard-core look at what our priorities are and what we really need and the sooner the better," Warner said. In second place was Johnson, the board's only black trustee, who tallied 7,707 votes. Commenting on his duties as a member of the new board, Johnson said that the board must now get busy "golng about the business of being a Board of Education." "The board still has the problem of credibility to the community," said Johnson, "but this is not a unique problem to our board." J o h n-s o n said that although the superintendent will now have to deal with an even more conservative board, most of the superintendente plans for change and innovative programs had gotten off the ground, so the real issue will be whether or not the new plans are continued or expanded in some cases. He also said that current financing for the schools is not as much of an issue as Warner had presented in his campaign. According to Johnson every district is in the same situation for funding. "The Human Rights Party (HRP) had a definite impact on the election," he said, "but it didn't really affect the less-liberal vote," I think pos'sibly that if the HRP hadn't been in the election, that Nancy Brussolo and Bishop would have won." Dukes ran third in the election with a total 6,893 votes. Regarded as Uve, he will replace Ronald Bishop, considered one of four liberal trustees on the board. Bishop's re-election bid failed when he ran fifth in the race, getting 5,803 votes. Dukes could not be reached for comment. Running closely behind Dukes was Terry Martin who totaled 6,624 votes. This is the second year in which a woman candidate has run fourth in the three-winner race, with Mrs. Brussolo running behind Trustee Ralph Bolhouse in 1971. There have been no women on the board since 1968. The vote totals are unofficial until approved by election officials for the board. Finishing sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth respectively, were: Letty Wickliffe with 5,802, Mrs. Brussolo with 5 777, Gretchen Wilson with 3,526, and I Curtis Holt with 3,119. The latter two were Human Rights Party candidates. The HRP's Sonia Yaco received a total lof 1,363 write-in votes in the election,_ (next page please) Ypsilanti And Área Results- Page 23