Shortly after Cy Mann,Santa Clara Valley Water District
director, decided to run for a position on the Santa Clara County
School Board, two candidates with experience in education qualified
to run for the seat.
The choice was between two dissimilar Santa Clara County jobs – the board of education and the water district board of directors – but Sahib “Cy” Mann chose the school board.
By 11 a.m. Wednesday, the SCVWD at-large director had filed and qualified to run in the county school board race, according to Elma Rosas, media officer for the county Registrar of Voters. He has not returned several phone calls.
Mann said in an e-mailed statement “after discussion with my family and evaluation of my passion for public service, I have decided to file papers to run for the Santa Clara County Board of Education which will allow more time for family and to serve my constituents.”
Now, Mann will begin campaigning as potential trustee for area 7 that covers the school districts: Alum Rock Union, Mount Pleasant, Morgan Hill Unified and Gilroy Unified and corresponding portion of East Side Union High school districts.
Shortly after Mann decided to run for a position on the county school board, two candidates with experience in education qualified to run for the seat.
At 3 p.m. Wednesday – with two hours to spare before the Registrar of Voters’ deadline – Julia Hover-Smoot, Morgan Hill Unified School District trustee, entered the race for county school board along with Adam Escoto, assistant superintendent for the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto.
Before dropping out of the water district race, Mann had said he was adamant about running “and running hard” against termed-out Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage .
“I don’t know why (Mann) did it or didn’t do it. I look at the candidates, but I still run my campaign,” Gage said.
In April, Mann and Gage went tit for tat publicly over the results of the water district’s redistricting process.
An 11th-hour decision by the board included a yes vote by Mann to split South County and link Gilroy to Palo Alto. The move was reversed after outcry from Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate and Pinheiro claiming Mann delivered not what they were promised, which was to create two districts to secure two South County representatives. Eventually a new map was drawn that includes a large portion of South San Jose with South County.
Mann’s role in controversy doesn’t end at the water district’s dais. For the first time in nine years, Mann paid his SCVWD bill on time for his Hale Avenue property but was dinged with late fees.
