Manteca Unified political newcomer Sam Fant’s name is already familiar to many in Stockton and Lodi.

That name recognition, it appears, will now extend to Manteca based on the “unofficial final” election results coming at 12:02 a.m. today from the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters. When the votes
cast at 81 precincts were counted and accounted for, the Weston Ranch resident came up ahead in the three-way contest by garnering 11,087 or 50.29 percent of the votes. Trailing behind were fellow Weston Ranch residents Sharla S. Moore who was showing 6,889 votes or 31.25 percent of the votes, and Alison Ordner with 3,977 which translated to 18.04 percent of the election pie.

Fant ran for the seat that will be vacated by Trustee Rex Holiday when his term as trustee of the school district’s Weston Ranch Area 1 ends at the end of the year. Holiday did not seek re-election to concentrate on completing his doctorate degree.

Two other trustee seats were set to being vacated – Area 3 represented by incumbent Michael Seelye, and Area 5 with Wendy King as representative. Seelye ran for re-election but no one filed papers to offer competition. Only one interested candidate – Deborah Romero – filed papers for King’s Area 5, but did not get any opposition as well. Which means Romero and Seelye, whose names did not appear in the election ballots, will be automatically appointed and sworn into their respective seats, along with Fant.

The experiences which Fant said he would bring to the seven-member MUSD Board of Trustees panel run the gamut – from his appointment in January of this year by Gov. Jerry Brown to the 2nd District Agricultural Association of the San Joaquin County Fair Board, Stockton’s Planning Commission of which he is the current chairman, as well as football coach at Bear Creek High School in the Lodi Unified School District. Prior to that, he was director of the Sierra Vista Community Center in Stockton and held various positions with the Boys and Girls Club in Stockton from 2007 to 2010.

Born and raised in San Joaquin County, the 23-year-old Fant said during the MUSD candidates’ night that he is “a product of public school system.”

Formerly a county unincorporated area of French Camp, Weston Ranch later became part of the incorporated city of Stockton but remained under the jurisdiction of Manteca Unified School District.

 “I want to bring my experiences in the board,” Fant announced when he announced his candidacy.