The other six board members will choose a replacement to fill Emily Bloomfield’s seat until the 2008 General Election.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
The top vote getter in November’s school board election will be gone by summertime. Emily Bloomfield announced last week in the Santa Monica media that she will resign because her husband received a job transfer to Washington D.C.
Bloomfield has served on the board since being elected in 2002. She was re-elected four years later, finishing more than 1,000 votes ahead of the closest competitor.
“This was really unexpected,” Bloomfield said. “I didn’t expect we [she and her family] would ever be leaving the L.A. area. I know where my husband works, there are many offices, and people get relocated. But it usually happens earlier in their careers.”
Bloomfield’s husband, Dr. Byron Auguste, works for McKenzie & Co., a global management consulting firm. He has accepted a job to head a new office in Washington D.C., where he will be working on large global problems such as climate change.
Bloomfield said she does not know how much longer she will remain on the board, and said that would probably be up to her colleagues. According to district policy, the other board members must select a replacement for Bloomfield. That person will serve in her seat until the next General Election, which is in 2008.
School board President Kathy Wisnicki said this week that the board was only recently informed of Bloomfield’s situation, and the issue was not placed on this Thursday’s meeting agenda. It will likely be discussed at the March 1 meeting.
Wisnicki said she will miss her colleague, who was the president of the board when Wisnicki was elected in 2004.
“She was really helpful, teaching me how I should approach an issue or the best way to convey my thoughts on a topic,” Wisnicki said.
Wisnicki continued, “She brings such a balanced perspective, and is so thoughtful in her decision making. I really appreciate the way she lays things out in a very clear and thoughtful way to tell people how she arrived at a decision or opinion.”
Bloomfield has three children currently enrolled in the school district. Her oldest child will be attending high school next year. She said her children are disappointed with having to move, and added that the transition will be tough on her as well.
“Traumatic would probably be too strong of a word, but I think this will be somewhere close to that,” Bloomfield said. “It is very exciting for my husband, and Washington D.C. is a very exciting area. I’m sure that there will be opportunities there.”
She added, “I very much enjoy the work that I do within the school district. I’m deeply rooted in this community. I have lots of friends here. It’s going to be difficult.”