Valdes Retains School Board Seat

Posted Aug 26, 2008 by Courtney Cairns Pastor

Updated Aug 26, 2008 at 10:48 PM

10:45 p.m.: Accusations she overspent on travel didn’t stop voters from electing school board member Susan Valdes to a second term.

Valdes, 43, had drawn criticism for racking up a $50,000 travel bill during her first four years, the highest amount on the Hillsborough County School Board. She defended herself, saying she took on too many trips in her eagerness to do a good job.

Her constituents in District 1 – which includes Town ’N Country, Westchase and other northwestern Hillsborough communities – awarded her another four years. The first time she ran, she defeated educator Janice Torgersen. This time, she beat Torgersen’s husband, David Schmidt.

Schmidt, 59, has worked for the district for about a decade, running a program for immigrants. During the campaign, he emphasized his ability to work with district employees and criticized Valdes for ethical oversights and overstepping her bounds as a board member.

The other school board seat open remained undetermined tonight. School board races are nonpartisan.

None of the three candidates for District 7 received 50 percent of the vote in the primary, so the top two candidates will move to the general election in November. Carol Kurdell and Stephen Gorham will compete against each other to represent the countywide seat.