The race for Area 4 of the Governing Board is up for grabs this Tuesday.
The incumbent Corina Soto is running against two challengers, Aimee Cuellar-Martinez and Selena Ellis-Vizcarra, who both come in as experienced Southwestern College alumni.
As Governing Board member, the elected official would represent Area 4, which includes the main Chula Vista campus. One of their biggest responsibilities will be the hiring of a new school president as Mark Sanchez plans to retire next semester. Other responsibilities include managing the school’s finances, resources and faculty.
Martinez spent 15 years working with students within the Sweetwater High Union High School District, 10 as a teacher and five as an assistant principal. In that time she worked with current Southwestern College governing board member and teacher in the high school district, Don Dumas.
“I’ve worked with Aimee for many years serving the students of the South Bay,” Dumas said in an endorsement post. “She is hard-working, honest and cares deeply about helping all students achieve their career and educational goals.”
Martinez comes into the race heavily endorsed, with Board President Kristine Galicia Brown and Board Vice President Nicholas Segura also backing her. Her other endorsements include the Chula Vista Democratic Club, San Diego County Democratic Party and Assemblyman David Alvarez.
Her commitment to the students of the South Bay inspired her to run for office.
“I just want to make sure that the students I serve in the South Bay are getting support after high school,”Martinez said, “and I felt like the best way for me to give back was to run for board at Southwestern College, right where I grew up and I attended.”
Martinez is campaigning on making college more affordable, preparing students for the step after Southwestern and listening to faculty and students while making transparent budget choices.
Ellis-Vizcarra comes in with fewer endorsements, but with 35 years of experience. She’s dealt with finances, operations and partnerships for organizations like the Jacob Center for Neighborhood Innovation, where she is currently the acting chief operating officer. This experience helped earn the support of the Southwestern SCEA, a union for staff and faculty at the community college.
“We’ve seen that she has a proven background from the nonprofit sector of being able to work with different stakeholder groups, carry out large scale projects [and] manage financials on a larger scale,”said Emily Lohorn Carpenter, the Co-Chair of Organizing for the SCEA.
Beyond the experience, SCEA believes it’s time for change.
“What we as a faculty union are really responding to right now in candidates are new voices,” Carpenter said. “Somebody who’s going to come in with a fresh set of eyes and hopefully an independent stance when they’re looking at college business.”
Ellis-Vizcarra believes she can be those fresh eyes.
“I don’t think this is political, I think this is budgetary and strategy and its business,” Ellis-Vizcarra said. “We are in the business of getting our people jobs and transitioning people out.”
She is campaigning on keeping students and faculty first by making sure they have the resources needed to succeed, listening to different perspectives to construct collaborative leadership and making transparent decisions regarding Southwestern’s resources and finances.
Soto’s challengers come in with strong resumes and long lists of endorsements but her case for re-election remains intact. She has been a part of Southwestern College since 1998, serving as a counselor and professor during that tenure. She also spent time in the SCEA holding multiple leadership positions from treasurer to president.
Soto was not available for comment before deadline.
According to her campaign website, Soto is focused on equal opportunity, transparency, and accountability at Southwestern College. Her top priority is finding a replacement for President Sanchez.
“The hiring of the next Southwestern College Campus president is the most important decision that will be made at SWC in the coming months,” she wrote on a social media post.
Soto is endorsed by the Eastlake Bonita Democratic Club.
The ballots for the Nov. 3 Election have been mailed out.
