Moderate wins one Central Valley School Board seat while conservative incumbent inches toward victory for another

There will be at least one new face on the Central Valley School Board.

In the race without an incumbent, election night results indicate the more moderate of the two, Allen Skidmore, earned enough votes to win the seat at the dais.

Skidmore leads with 58.4% of the vote, while his opponent, Brandon Arthur, trails with 40.6%.

In the other contested seat in Central Valley, conservative incumbent Pam Orebaugh held a lead over more moderate challenger Mark Bitz. Bitz has 48.7% of election night tallies, while Orebaugh has 51%.

Skidmore credited his victory to his deep ties to the school community. He said he still knows school staff from when his were in the district and is well connected through his work on various school advisory groups.

“I look forward to serving on the board. I’ll do my best to get along with the rest of the board, whoever wins between Mark and Pam,” Skidmore said. “I look foreword to try and lead the district that will help us pass the levy when the time comes to keep our schools funded.”