Saundra Davis, unchallenged as the fashion leader of the School Board for the past six years, made a striking return to good health at last night’s meeting.
The combination of her vividly cranberry suit and natural good looks set her apart from the swarms of people squeezing into the Board Room at School District Headquarters for the new member Installation Ceremony.
Intriguingly, a question looms as to how long Ms. Davis will serve with the newly constituted Board.
She well may seek to move along to her next political challenge.
With registration for City Council candidates opening at a yawningly early hour on Monday morning, the subject of Ms. Davis’s often-parried run for a City Hall office has arisen again.
Amid signs that still another woman is about to announce her candidacy, indications are this afternoon she will sign up — probably early — and launch her long-anticipated campaign for a Council seat.
Three seats will be available on Election Day in April. Five candidates so far have declared themselves — the Everyman contender Andy Weissman, former City Councilman Albert Vera, second-time challenger Mehaul O’Leary, and first-timers Dr. Luther Henderson and City Clerk Christopher Armenta.
Ms. Davis is just back to work from surgery on Oct. 29, and it was clear that recuperation was not all that was on her mind the last seven weeks.
Will She?
She did not flatly say yes that she would run. Exactly.
But she definitely did not say no.
“I have been asked” to run for the City Council, Ms. Davis revealed.
“I told them, ‘That is not my intention as of now.’
“I wanted to see who was going to be in the race before I made a final decision.”
Monday or Bust?
If Ms. Davis decides to go forward, she probably will sign up on or close to Opening Day of registration.
“Because I have been incapacitated, and if I decided to run, I would just fall farther behind” if she didn’t start campaigning soon.
“People already have begun the process (of campaigning). They already have started walking, and they are talking to people.
“I am already behind. I would have to play major catch-up.”
Now or Never?
Can Ms. Davis afford to wait longer than Dec. 17?
“No,” she said.
Does this mean that Ms. Davis has made up her mind?
“No,” she said again.
“In actuality, I had made up my mind that no way would I do it after I started looking at the field. Then I said, I will not say a flat-out no. I will leave it open.
No or Yes?
“If I came in, I know I would be behind all of the other candidates because they have been working and I have not. It was not in my repertoire of thinking at the time.”
At such a critical juncture, whom does Ms. Davis consult with?
“Bilson Davis,” she snapped back very fast, alluding to her husband .
This month the Davises are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary.
Then and Now
Of the official retirement of Marla Wolkowitz and Stew Bubar from the School Board last night, Ms. Davis said: “Some longtime fixtures have departed.”
She sounded eager to work with the incoming members Scott Zeidman and Steve Gourley. “I look forward to a new day for the Board with new ideas, lots of enthusiasm, excitement, connections to the community, and innovations.”
