I cover Ventura County politics from Park Boards to School Boards. Sometimes I am serious but sometimes I want to use my blog for local politicians and activists to have a good time. Besides being fun I want the fun contests to remind all of us that what we have in common is bigger than what divides us. Maybe when we laugh with each other we can focus on our policy differences more than personality clashes. That's the plan anyway.

Do you remember the cutest dog competition? I am proud of how many people participated by sending in pictures.

What about the video contest Team Sojka won? Kyle Quiroz told me he is actually getting paid a very small amount by Youtube for that video.

This time I am sponsoring a Planking Competition.

Awards will be given for a variety of categories including most creative, most on message, and best picture. Elected officials, activists, and others can enter by emailing me their pictures. You can have us guess where the picture was taken or include that information for me to post.

Here is the first entry:

Moorpark City Council Member Mark Van Dam is planking in a mysterious spot. Any guesses where he is at?

State Assembly Member Jeff Gorell teased me that he might send in a picture of him planking in Afghanistan. Would you like him to send in a picture? Vote in my online poll.

I unlocked the poll so you can vote as many times as you want.

This is part of my ongoing series where I ask questions of elected officials, staff members, and activists. I want answers that will share with my readers more than what we generally read in news articles on their ideas towards government and their official duties.

This time I have questions for Moorpark School Board Member Ute Van Dam. She was elected to the School Board in 2008 and works as a school psychologist for LAUSD.

School Board Member Ute Van Dam:

After you were elected what type of training program and orientation did the school district offer? What have you been most surprised by as a school board member?

You can post here on my blog or send me your answer.

Thanks,

Brian Dennert

Newly elected Moorpark School Board Member Ute Van Dam has been declared the winner by 94 votes in Moorpark.

Click on continue reading to see her message to supporters.

Click here to see a Question and Answer session she did with readers.

Ute Van Dam, thanks for taking questions from my readers and congratulations on your victory. The transparency you added by taking questions is appreciated. After a few months I plan to ask you to answer questions about the new job.

But for now, is there any formal training for newly elected school board members or have any of the current members offered to show you around?

The Moorpark School Board elections are just another local election that is being mostly ignored because of all the other excitement this year. Natalie Ponassian agreed to answer questions from my readers, which impresses me when you see how many different groups that she works or volunteers for.

I appreciate your time Natalie. Answer my questions and questions from my readers between all of your other meetings.

To my readers: If a candidate takes a few days to answer your question, be patient. Many of them volunteer for charities, hold down full time jobs, and have other campaign related activities to do.

Here are my questions, that are similar to what I ask of most school board candidates.

1. Will you seek or accept the support of a political party for your campaign?

2. What do you think about the process to fire a poor performing teacher? Do you think it is too easy, reasonable, or too hard to fire a teacher?

3. Have you attended many school board meetings?

4. Is it a conflict of interest to get the support of teachers since you could be voting on their contract?

5. What local politician do you respect for the work they have done for our community?

Thanks for your time. What questions do my readers have for Natalie Panossian?

For more information:

Click here for her Linkedin profile.

Click here for a brief SmartVoter Guide. ( Let us know if it updated soon.)

Click here for a profile in the Moorpark Acorn.

Click here for the endorsement from The Ventura County Lincoln club. which declined to endorse another Republican, Ute Van Dam, that is also running. Ute Van Dam is a Democrat. I updated my post to reflect her registration.

Moorpark School Board Member Ute Van Dam out a website for her campaign.

Check it out by clicking here.

Ute, thanks for putting a link to my blog on your website.

Do you know if there going to be any forums for school board candidates in Moorpark? Has any group approached you yet?

To the other campaigns:

If you have news about your campaign, no matter if it isn't that big, send it in.

Between here and election day I plan on having many candidates answer your questions. Remember, you don't need to register to comment. You also don't need to use your real name or your real email address. Keep the questions related to the position that the candidate is running for and keep it classy. Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog. If you know a candidate that wants to get their name out there send me an email sooner rather than later.

I know Ute's husband from his successful run for Moorpark City Council. I also know him from an experimental Spanish class that we took together. Long story.

Anyways, here are some questions from me, followed by an introduction by Ute Van Dam.

1. Will you seek or accept the support of a political party for your campaign?

2. What do you think about the process to fire a poor performing teacher? Do you think it is too easy, reasonable, or too hard to fire a teacher?

3. Have you attended many school board meetings?

4. Do you support the expansion of charter schools?

5. What local politician do you respect for the work they have done for our community?

Here is Ute Van dam's introduction:

I appreciate the opportunity to participate in Brian's blog and I look forward to answering questions and comments about my decision to run for our school board.

My name is Ute Van Dam and I am running for the Moorpark Unified School Board. I have lived in Moorpark for the past 6+ years and have truly enjoyed it. I moved here with my family from the Valley due to the excellent quality of life, wonderful school system and the small-town atmosphere.

I have 22 years experience in the field of education: 5 years as a classroom teacher and 17 years as a school psychologist. I am involved in a variety of community activities, including the high school band program, Kiwanis, youth volleyball, and various church activities at Moorpark Presbyterian Church.

Our schools in Moorpark are doing great-- even when faced with budgetary constraints. However, there is always room for improvement. I would like to see the arts much more promoted in ALL of the schools. Communication between the school district and the city, youth sports, and community can always be enhanced for the betterment of our children. The budget and sound financial planning is also an issue since enrollment and funding has decreased dramatically over the last several years.

One board member has children currently in the school district and I feel it is important that current parents have a voice in decision making. Also, only one of the current board members is an educator which I believe gives important insight as to how schools can and should run efficiently and effectively. While being an educator and a parent with school-aged children does not mean that I will have all of the answers, it will allow me to draw on my past experiences and training and use them to benefit our schools.

Please ask questions and I will respond accordingly.

Thank you.

Ute (pronounced "oo-tay." It's German. Blame my parents.)