Now, here’s something you don’t often see: a billboard for a school

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Now, here’s something you don’t often see: a billboard for a school board candidate. This one occupies a prominent space above Rainier Avenue, just south of Jackson St. You got to hand it to Kay Smith-Blum for upping the visibility of the race, which normally has next to none. It’s apparently a sign that Smith-Blum, co-owner of the Butch Blum clothing store, is serious–and also that she’s got some money to burn. As of the latest report with the state Public Disclosure Commission, she’s raised $26,600–more than any other school board candidate, including incumbent Mary Bass, whom she’s challenging in the Central Area’s District Five. Bass has raised $6,900. The second biggest war chest among school board candidates is that of Wilson Chin, an HIV researcher who is running in Southeast District Seven.