School officials are describing a man who won a seat on the Orange, Calif., school board as a complete mystery. They have no idea who he is or why he ran on Nov. 2, and as of last week, he had not been seen in public.
Steve Rocco did not file a candidate statement when he signed up to run for a seat on the board of the 32,000-student Orange Unified School District. He did not respond to requests for interviews from the media and local education groups, and did not appear to run any sort of campaign.
But with 30,750 votes, or 54 percent of those cast, Mr. Rocco beat Phil Martinez, a father of three district students and a local PTA and Eagle Scout leader.
Superintendent Robert L. French said last week that he had sent Mr. Rocco two letters and information about the district and had gotten no response. The board is to meet on Dec. 9 for a swearing-in ceremony.
Mr. French said he expects Mr. Rocco to attend the board’s first meeting. If he does not, the superintendent said the district will have to consult its lawyers to figure out the next step.
