By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
The unofficial results of Tuesday’s Los Alamos County 2023 Regular Local Election show voters chose Lauren Coupland to fill the District 3 vacancy on the School Board and Kristin Henderson and John Pawlak to seats on the UNM-LA Advisory Board.
The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office indicates that Coupland garnered 39 percent of the vote over incumbent Christine Bernstein at 32 percent and opponent Sean Stanfield with 29 percent.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office Henderson was the big winner of the night with 40 percent of the vote, Pawlak drew 24 percent followed closely by Jose Luis Carreno at 23 percent. Chris Luchini received 14 percent of the vote.
Coupland, Henderson and Pawlak will begin their board terms Jan. 1, 2024.
Voters passed the Los Alamos Public Schools General Obligation Bond by a significant 81 percent margin. The general obligation bond will generate $30 million for critical updates to school buildings throughout the district, including the replacement of Piñon and Chamisa Elementary Schools. Having high quality facilities and learning environments benefits our community. We are thankful to the Los Alamos voters for prioritizing our children and taking the time to vote.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Superintendent Jennifer Guy said she is grateful for the Los Alamos County voters.
“Thank you to the LAPS School Bond Committee and all of those who put in many hours to help advocate for our schools,” Superintendent Guy said. “We will continue to work hard to maintain community trust and fulfill our commitments to the public.”
Lauren Coupland
Coupland has lived in Los Alamos with her family for 10 years. She has been active in serving the community though her work with Family Strengths Network, Los Alamos Jewish Center, Aspen PTO and the MISS Foundation Grief support group.
She expressed her appreciation to voters and the other candidates.
“I want to thank everyone who came out and voted. Los Alamos is fortunate to have so many passionate people who care about our schools,” Coupland said. “I’d like to thank all of the candidates for their selfless dedication to our community. I look forward to continuing to work with the district, the board, and the community as we strive for equity, and move forward with our goal of 100% student success. In the next few weeks, I will be meeting with Superintendent Jennifer Guy, and attending the New Mexico School Boards Association conference in preparation for joining the board in January.”
Kristin Henderson
Henderson has lived in Los Alamos for more than 20 years, worked in in real estate for over a decade and now works for N3B. She has an undergraduate degree in philosophy and a law degree from UCLA School of Law.
She served on the Los Alamos County Council and has volunteered with a number of entities in town, from the Little Forest Play School Resale event to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Friends Group, which she founded.
“Thank you to (the voters in) Los Alamos County for electing me to the UNM-LA Advisory Board,” Henderson said. “It is an honor to represent the community, and I look forward to getting started!”
John Pawlak
Pawlak and his wife have lived in White Rock for 19 years. He taught a summer math course at UNM-LA (College Algebra). Then worked as a project manager on DLESE (Digital Library for Earth System Education) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Later, he taught math and science for eight years at Los Alamos High School and six years in Santa Fe.
He thanked voters for their support of his candidacy and also for participating in the local election and voting for the School Bond.
“Los Alamos has a long and proud history of valuing education for our children,” Pawlak said. “Our schools are a testament to that commitment to their futures.”
In preparation for his service on the Advisory Board, Pawlak said he plans to meet again with UNM-LA Chancellor Mike Holtzclaw to discuss near and far term goals for the University.
“I look forward to being involved with the many community-related activities supported by UNM-LA.” Pawlak said. “Mike (as he prefers to be called) has enumerated a detailed strategic plan, and I know that the Advisory Board will work hard to give him the support and advice needed to ensure success.”