Clint Olivier ‘confident’ about pending victory in Clovis Unified school board race
The Clovis Unified School Board Area 1 seat started as a tight race between two parents, early election results showed late Tuesday, but parent and nonprofit executive Clint Olivier pulled ahead and said he was “confident” about a victory.
“I’m very confident that I have a lead that is insurmountable,” Olivier said Tuesday night. “While I am stopping short of declaring victory, I am very excited with the initial result and look forward to seeing how much I can pad my lead.”
Olivier, a former two-term city councilman, led with 14,530 votes (38.2%) over parent and communications consultant Samantha Bauer with 12,233 votes (32.1%).
Parent and businessman Chuck Der Manouel and Realtor Joanne Burton were also seeking the vacant Area 1 seat. Der Manouel had 24.5% of the vote; Burton had 4.7%.
Area 6 candidate Deena Combs-Flores, a parent and teacher, earned 21,420 votes, 59.6% of the vote, in comparison to retired business owner Bill Whitmore who had 14,323 votes or 39.8%.
All 70 precincts have reported, as of 10:42 pm.
Combs-Flores didn’t declare victory when The Bee’s Education Lab first spoke to her before all precincts reported.
“I don’t think it’s right to declare victory until we get (more) results in,” she said at the time.
Even though candidates must represent the area they live in, the more than 143,000 registered Clovis voters could vote in each race. Of those registered, 44,619 people (31%) voted.
Area 3 was not on the ballot as incumbent and board president Tiffany Stoker Madsen had no opponents.
Olivier said he’s spent his campaign reaching out to the community, which he’d continue if elected.
“When I’m elected, I’m going to make it a focus to reach out to, engage and work with parents who are not involved now,” he said.
With his lead, he described his excitement as being over the moon, but the responsibility of the job humbled him.
“I am going to be part of a school board with a huge job to do over the next four years,” he said. “I don’t have a specific agenda, except for looking out for Clovis kids, looking out for Clovis parents and learning.”
Olivier is the CEO of the Business Federation of the Central Valley (Bizfed), a non-profit organization that advocates for business-friendly legislation at each level of government. Before Bizfed, he was a reporter and anchor for KFSN and KMPH, and a Fresno City Councilman from 2011 to 2019. Olivier also ran for State Assembly in 2016,
With Combs-Flores’s lead, she thought back to the exciting moments of before and during the campaign, including moving to Area 6 and being asked to run, being endorsed by the Clovis Unified Board Trustee David DeFrank, being supported by prominent community leaders and community members.
“You don’t realize how many connections you have until something like this,” she said.
This won’t be her first elected position. In 2000 and 2004, she ran and was elected to the Orangevale Recreation and Park District Board of Directors in Sacramento County, which she resigned from in 2006 to move to the Central Valley.
Combs-Flores has lived in Clovis Unified for 16 years and has had children in the school system the entire time. She was a stay-at-home mom before becoming a teacher. She’s taught in Madera and Merced and now teaches math at a court school through the Fresno County Office.
“I would want to continue the effort of reaching out and partnering up with local organizations and businesses,” she said. “The community is a major stakeholder in the workings of a school district.”
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab at its website.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:39 PM.
