EDITORIAL:Drawing a blank yet again

We hope the Newport-Mesa Unified School District has given Mike Brumbaugh a sincere apology.

Brumbaugh not only thought he would make a good candidate for the school board seat being vacated this fall by Linda Sneen, but he probably was starting to think he would make a pretty good school board member. After all, with just a few weeks to go before the filing period ended, he was the only candidate running.

Not so fast.

It turns out that the map Brumbaugh used to determine he was in Sneen’s district was outdated, although it still was up on the district’s website. Brumbaugh, it turns out, doesn’t live in Sneen’s area. And so, with just days until the Aug. 11 filing deadline, the part of the district that extends through the center of Costa Mesa doesn’t have a candidate.

Sound familiar?

Two years ago, there were no contested races for the school board. Four years ago, two of three incumbents won with about 70% of the vote. The third, Costa Mesa parks commissioner Wendy Leece — who now is running for Costa Mesa City Council — was an outspoken critic of the board and a decidedly conservative voice when it came to issues that included the teaching of evolution and putting religious texts in public places. She lost a narrow election.

It would appear that no one other than those already serving on the board want the job. How can that be? Surely there are qualified people out there who want to make a difference in our children’s lives.

If you are out there, go down to the district headquarters at 2985-A Bear St. in Costa Mesa, check the district maps and see if you live in an area that is up for election. Even if you don’t win, at least you will be giving voters a choice.

And that is more than they have had for years.