There will not be a miracle finish to this week’s School Board election.
After outstanding ballots were counted, as of 2 o’clock this afternoon, not only does the order remain the same, the margins among the top three are undisturbed.
In the updating, the two winners of new Board seats, Nancy Goldberg and Laura Chardiet, each gained about 200 new votes. So did the incumbent and out-of-the-money finisher Scott Zeidman, President of the Board.
Today’s new totals:
Nancy Goldberg…2,419…34.41%
Laura Chardiet…2,115…30.09%
Scott Zeidman…2,087…29.69%
Robert Zirgulis…284…4.04%
Gary Abrams…125…1.78%
Unlike some past elections, no drama was connected with this voting adventure.
Ms. Goldberg, arguably the most popular citizen of Culver City, led comfortably from the first counting, absentee ballots. Ms. Chardiet, always second, held a skinny but apparently dent-proof lead over Mr. Zeidman all night.
In other years, the trailing candidate in a snug race has held out nailbiting hope.
Not this week.
Down by 28 for the second and final seat on Tuesday night, the space between Ms. Chardiet and Mr. Zeidman is identical going into the weekend.
The next School Board meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 22, in Council Chambers, Mr. Zeidman’s quite unanticipated finale.
Tuesday, Dec. 6, Ms. Chardiet and Ms. Goldberg will debut in a meeting at the District quarters.
Mr. Zeidman’s successor as President will be voted on that evening.
Dec. 1 will mark the eighth anniversary of the history Marble Rolloff, the showdown between incumbent Stew Bubar and challenger Roger Maxwell, who finished in a tie.
Mr. Bubar outmarbled his opponent to retain his chair.