Lewis surprises with election victory

While two winners in last week’s Boardof Education election were the favorites, the third surprised many —including the candidate herself.

Rachel Lewis, 23, the youngest in afield of nine Board of Education candidates, clinched the third openseat in last Tuesday’s election with 12 percent (4,291) of the vote.Incumbent Nicole Armbruster won the most votes with 22 percent (7,617)and newcomer Peter Spadafore took the second seat with over 18 percent(6,453) of the vote. Lewis beat fourth place candidate Jeffrey Croff by702 votes. Stephen Manchester followed next with 3,344 votes, thenKaren Truszkowski with 2,935 votes, Mark Eagle with 2,189 votes, AndyMutavdzija with 2,066 and finally B. Michael Williams with 1,917 votes.

“When I first found out I was a littleshocked,” Lewis said of her victory. “I was a little nervous that notenough people had heard my message.”

Lewis’ surprise is understandable. WhileSpadafore and Armbruster carried multiple major endorsements, Lewis hadonly one — from the Ingham County Democratic Party.

“I think she was even surprised (shewon),” said Lansing Schools Education Association President PattiSeidl. “She hadn’t been recommended by any of the major groups outthere.”

Seidl said the teachers’ union endorsedArmbruster and two others, but Spadafore was a close fourth choice.Lewis was not a “strong contender” for the endorsement, but Seidl saidshe looks forward to working with her.

So how did Lewis win without key endorsements?

While it is unlikely that a candidatewith few if any endorsements will win an election, endorsements are notalways a key to victory, said political strategist Joe DiSano of MainStreet Strategies.

“Endorsements are the most overratedpart of a campaign,” said DiSano, who didn’t have any board candidatesas clients. “I advise my candidates that I work with to not payattention to any endorsements that does not come with a check orcommunication to group members.”

Instead of endorsements, candidates should be judged on their work ethic and dedication, DiSano said.

“There’s no replacement for someone who’s going to go out there and hustle,” he added.

While DiSano was not familiar withLewis’ campaign, he said her victory spoke both to her strength as acandidate as well as the weaknesses of other candidates withendorsements who failed to win.

Some candidates believe that havingendorsements will guarantee them a victory so they stop campaigning,going door-to-door and hammering their message, which allows othercandidates to sneak by and win, DiSano explained.

“They think the endorsements will do the work for them,” he said. “I see it far too often.”

Sometimes, an endorsement can sink acampaign and make it harder for a candidate, he said. He used theChamber of Commerce’s tactics during the past election as an example ofan endorsement that might have backfired for candidates.

City Clerk Chris Swope thought age might have helped Lewis clench the seat.

“I can tell you anecdotally the people I talked to said they wanted a younger school board,” he said.

Lewis also believed her age and experience in the Lansing School District as a graduate of Everett High helped her win.

“I think that people just wanted to seethe new perspective I would bring to the board, the unique perspectiveof being a graduate of Lansing schools,” she said.

Swope also suggested that Lewis’ motherRobin Lewis, a former school board member, may have influenced theelection by assisting her daughter, but Lewis said she specificallyasked her mother not to help to prove she could think for herself andrun her own race.

“If my mother wanted to be on the schoolboard she would run again,” Lewis said. “I wanted people to know thatit was my hard work.”

Lewis thought the tactic helped hersince it showed voters she was old enough to make her own decisions andsupport them without being influenced by her mother, who served on theboard for seven years.

Race may have also been a factor inLewis’ election, Swope said, although election data does not includerace so it cannot be specifically analyzed. As the onlyAfrican-American candidate, her election ensures that the racialdistribution of the board remains the same after current board memberKen Jones’ term ends in December. Lewis will join Board of EducationPresident Shirley Rodgers and Vice President Charles Ford as the thirdAfrican American board member.

Lewis said the African American community was not a target in her campaign.

“That wasn’t a strategy I used at all,” she said. “I targeted every population of voters.”

Regardless of the reasons she waselected, Lewis said she is ready to tackle the big issues and helprestore faith in the district from which she graduated.

“I really hope that the board can workmore cohesively to rebuild the community’s faith in the schools andreturn the schools to where they were when I was a student,” she said.

Age also may have played a factor inSpadafore being elected. At 26, Spadafore tied along with Eagle andMutavdzija for the second youngest candidate in the pool.

“I think that people are looking for thenext generation of leaders in Lansing,” Spadafore said. “(Voters) put alot of faith in me, and I appreciate that.”

Spadafore said he was proud of the wayhe ran his campaign and is eager to work with the board on thedistrict’s tough issues such as finding a new superintendent.

Armbruster could not be reached for comment.