By Jonathan Friedman
Associate Editor

January 13, 2015 -- Ralph Mechur, who lost his bid for re-election to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board in November, will attempt to return to the governing panel the same way he joined it in 2007 -- as an appointee filling a vacant seat.

Unlike in 2007 when Mechur faced one rival in seeking the appointment and easily received the nod, this year he is one of ten hopefuls.

Among those seeking to fill the vacancy, which was created when Ben Allen resigned in late November after being elected to the State Senate, is the leader of a Malibu activist group, a well-known Santa Monica attorney, a member of the Santa Monica Democratic Club’s executive committee and four people who ran for the board in previous elections, including Mechur.

Board members are scheduled to interview the ten candidates in public on Thursday during a regularly scheduled meeting at the SMMUSD office building. They could appoint the new member after the interviews.

The appointment can be challenged within 30 days through a petition signed by at least 1.5 percent of the school district’s registered voters. This would force an election costing the district an estimated $1 million, Superintendent Sandra Lyon told the board during a recent meeting.

A petition for an election must feature information about the cost.

Mechur is the only former board member seeking the appointment. In his application, Mechur described his seven years on the board as a period in which he “worked effectively with parents, teachers and staff to develop innovative policies focused on student well-being and achievement.”

He continued, “I am proud to have served on our board during some of both our greatest successes and most considerable challenges in recent years. But I believe my work is unfinished.”

One of Mechur’s opponents is Tom Larmore, a partner in the law firm Harding Larmore Kutcher & Kozal. Among the other partners in the firm is Chris Harding, husband of school board member Laurie Lieberman.

In his application, Larmore wrote that his qualifications and experience include being on the district’s Financial Oversight Committee and heading a successful campaign for an SMMUSD tax measure.

“I would bring a strong connection between the district and the local business community, having worked with local businesses as clients for many years and served on the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Board for about 10 years,” Larmore wrote.

Another hopeful is Malibu resident Jennifer deNicola. She is the president of Malibu Unites, which was formed last year to address alleged environmental health issues at Malibu High School. DeNicola frequently speaks at school board meetings about this subject.

“I will fight for justice and truth, and protect students and staff with everything that I have,” she wrote in her application. “I think outside the box for win-win solutions for all parties because working together is about compromise, and compromise doesn’t always mean all parties leave the table happy.”

If appointed, deNicola would join recently elected Craig Foster as only the second Malibu resident on the seven-member board. 

Three other Malibu residents are seeking the appointment -- film industry veteran David Hays, Deputy District Attorney Larry Droeger and Patty Finer, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the November election.

Another candidate from the November election who is seeking the appointment is Dhun May. She placed seventh in the eight-candidate field. Finer placed eighth.

The others seeking the seat are Lincoln Middle School PTA president Jon Kean, Santa Monica Democratic Club executive board member Sion Roy and Jake Wachtel, who unsuccessfully ran for the board in 2010.