A community forum was held Wednesday night for veterans to learn more about the two candidates running for the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees.
After being ousted from a spot on the board of trustees, Kenney Enney is running to reclaim the position.
Enney was removed from his position in December, following a successful petition.
Organizers of the petition say Enney made social media posts in a Facebook group that were exclusionary towards members of the LGBTQ community.
During tonight’s candidate forum, Enney made comments addressing inclusion.
“There should not be any division, there should not be any special colors, there should not be any special groups. This is part of getting back to basic citizenship,” said Enney.
He added, “We used to teach this: E Pluribus Unum, out of many, one, and we used to all have one flag, that’s the inclusivity flag over there in the corner (directed at the United States flag), and that should be everybody's flag and everybody's rights should be the same and we should be equally concerned about all students.”
Enney is facing off against Angela Hollander, who has been involved in the district for years.
During tonight’s forum, Hollander spoke in support of LGBTQ students.
“I think our LGBTQ students face a lot of homophobia and challenges in their life and I want to make sure that there’s no room for that on our school campuses.. they are a protected class because we are not to discriminate in this country against race, religion, sexual orientation or gender, so I just want every child to feel safe so that they can learn and reach their highest potential no matter who they are or who their family is,” said Hollander.
Vote-by-mail ballots have already been mailed out to voters.
The special election is on April 18.
You can vote by mail, in person, or at a ballot drop-off location within the district. To find a drop-off location, click here.
To view Hollander’s campaign website, click here.
To check out Enney’s platform, click here.
