By KEITH GRANT
Ousted was longtime trustee Norman Alpren, who was seeking a fifth term. Alpren was fourth in the voting for the two available seats, behind challenger Jannine Laskas-Gillespie, who fell a mere 100 votes short of Lester for second place in the unofficial results.
Lester and Alvarado will replace a combined 18 years of board experience when they join the body at the end of the month. Current board president Gina Guma did not seek re-election, as she is slated to be appointed to a vacant seat on the Long Beach City Council July 1.
"It's nice to be back," Lester said following his victory. "I'm going to miss Gina and Norm. But I welcome the opportunity to work with Franklin."
Lester served on the board from 1999 to 2002, when he was defeated in a crowded election. He remained a constant at board meetings throughout the past year and decided to run again only when he knew of Guma's fate and determined that he would not have to compete against two former colleagues for the two available seats.
As for Alpren, he was gracious in defeat, reflecting on the things he had an opportunity to accomplish during his 12 years on the board. "I had a good run," he said. "I'm very happy for Roy. And happy for Alvarado, the new guy on the street."
Alpren believes he did a lot of good for the schools during his tenure and is leaving the district in good hands, among the superintendent, new administrators, and many new teachers that have joined the district in recent years.
On a personal note, he added, "I graduated all four of my kids, and gave each one of them their diplomas. Who gets to do that? So I can't be upset."
Alvarado, a 1988 graduate of Long Beach High, and his family celebrated a successful campaign, one that saw him produce big numbers in almost every election district. He was the top vote-getter in three of the seven districts, and was among the top two in all but Point Lookout.
"I went in with my head held high and wanted to spread the word of what we were about, and the community responded," he said. "We were very successful in every district."
Aside from the support he got from his family, Alvarado attributed much of his campaign's success to his getting out and starting the campaign early in the election season.
"We started early and the community was ready to see some new faces," he said. "Someone homegrown and who is from the community, but a new face who can bring different ideas, different experience to the board. It's exciting that the community is open to that."
