Kramer secures final seat on board

It took almost two weeks to get the official word for DUSD school board member Susan Kramer to hear she will retain her seat on the board for another four years.

While the early and provisional ballots were still being counted after the Nov. 6 general election Kramer was hesitant to make a statement until she knew for sure she would return to the board.

Final vote totals were released last week by the Cochise County Elections Office. Incumbent Mike Ortega finished with 3,027 votes; challenger Natalio Sabal had 2,153; Kramer 1,838; Mario Ramos, the current board president, lost his seat finishing with 1,757 votes and Louie Tartaglia had 1, 376.

Countywide there were 80,372 registered voters and 49,554 votes were cast for a 61.66 percent turnout rate.

“I’m excited to think that people think I know what I’m doing,” Kramer joked in response to being asked how she felt being elected to another four years.

Kramer said with Proposition 204 not passing there is quite a challenge ahead for those on the board.

“From what we’ve heard so far I think we’re going to be okay,” she said. “I don’t feel we’ll be as damaged as some of the other, bigger school districts.”

Kramer said DUSD officials in Douglas had been preparing just in case Prop. 204 did not pass and it seems some of the preparations that had been planned may now actually be put to use.

“We’ve not been hit as hard so far as some of the other districts by the budget cuts,” she said. “Things will be tight and there will be some belt tightening but I think we’ll do okay.”

Ramos lost his seat on the board and Kramer says his loss will be felt.

“Mario, I think, was a great leader as far as being president of the school board,” she said. “I’m certainly going to miss him … he did a really good job of learning the ins and outs of being on the school board. He went to many trainings and asked a lot of questions where they needed to be asked and followed up where things needed to be followed up.”

Kramer added she is looking forward to working once again with the returning members of the board as well as Mr. Sabal.

Kramer, Ortega and Sabal will all be sworn in at the January meeting.