Hilary Barron, a MVHS social science teacher, was surprised at the tight margin of 63 votes by which Ray Wang won against Rod Sinks. The election was proof of the importance of voter turnout, she says.
“In California, a lot of voters feel like their vote for president doesn’t count as much as some battleground states, for example,” Barron said. “But for local elections, it’s different. And I think we could argue that in some cases, local elections have a more significant impact on our lives here than national issues.”
The Kitty Moore and Wang campaigns were better organized than others’ in voter outreach and promotions, according to Barron. In such a close race, that difference may have determined the results.
“They had way more yard signs; they were way more organized in that way,” Barron said. “I think that helped them, because people see, ‘Oh, my neighbor supports them. I’m going to support them too.’”
The campaigns of Kitty Moore, Ray Wang, Rod Sinks, Gilbert Wong, Barry Chang and Claudio Bono did not respond to El Estoque’s requests for comment.
“We’re just massively overjoyed in the sense that residents are looking for more responsible and responsive services from the city,” Wang told San José Spotlight. “There’s a chance to actually make sure that they see that, and more importantly, we get more resident input.”
