BY ROSE ALBANO RISSO
The Bulletin
The deadline to file candidate’s papers with the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters for the position of San Joaquin County superintendent of schools will be extended to Thursday, March 13, because the incumbent is not running.
The filing extension is applicable only to non-incumbents. The regular filing deadline for the June primary elections is Friday, March 7.
San Joaquin County Office of Education Superintendent Mick Founts announced last year that he is not seeking another term and will retire at the end of the school year in June.
There are currently two interested individuals remaining who have officially thrown their names into the race for county superintendent. They are Jeff Tilton who was most recently promoted to the position of superintendent for K-12 Delta Charter Schools of New Jerusalem Elementary School District in Tracy, and James Mousalimas who is currently serving as deputy superintendent of the San Joaquin County Office of Education.
A third candidate pulled himself out of the race soon after announcing last year that he was a contender. Gary Dei Rossi, a former Manteca Unified educator and principal, bowed out of as a contender not long after he made the announcement. He retired last year. At that time, he was serving as deputy superintendent of the San Joaquin County Office of Education.
Manteca Educators Association president and school teacher Ken Johnson also made it known last year of his intention to run for the top administrative position for San Joaquin County schools. But his effort was derailed after he found out he lacked the administrative background required of all candidates running for that post.
The top two candidates capturing the highest number of votes in the June primaries will go on to the November elections which will be the deciding point. If there are no additional candidates filing at the end of the extended filing period with only Tilton and Mousalimas running, the race will still go on to the November elections, Registrar of Voters Austin G. Erdman said. However, the candidate who will grab 50 percent of the votes plus one in June – or a total of 51 percent – “will give him the election,” Erdman said.
Cost for filing papers of candidacy with the Registrar of Voters is no small change. In the county superintendent election, would-be candidates have to shell out $6,500 for their statement of qualifications on the ballot. Additionally, they have to pay the mandatory filing fee of $2,350.51.
