The Solvang Elementary School District appointed a local health care provider and U.S. Army veteran to its board of trustees at a board meeting on Nov. 14, a seat that has been vacated mid-term twice this year.
Benjamin Olmedo, a physician assistant for the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic, lieutenant with the U.S. Public Health Service, and former Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student, will be sworn in as a board member at a special meeting on Dec. 5. With a 3-year-old daughter and another child on the way, Olmedo said he has a vested interest in the school district.
“Soon she’ll be in school,” Olmedo said, “and as a health care provider, I see a lot of the kids attending Solvang’s schools.”
Olmedo said he works in primary care providing acute, chronic, and preventative health care and he is bilingual, which he said will bring an important perspective to the board.
As a health care provider, parent, and member of the military, Olmedo said he considers community service to be a priority. Before moving to Solvang, Olmedo lived in Alaska, where he was actively involved with community work. He hopes to continue that service here.
“I essentially applied because I want to make a difference,” Olmedo said. “I’m super excited. I’m very humbled and honored to have the opportunity to serve my community.”
The newest board member will serve a one-year term because his predecessor resigned mid-term. When his term expires in December 2018, Olmedo said he’d likely run for re-election.
“If I feel like I’m contributing and everything goes well, I’d probably run again,” Olmedo said.
The Solvang School District board of trustees was recently left with an empty seat after former board member Kim Merz moved away from the district in September. Merz said in an email that although her daughter still attends Solvang School, board members must be Solvang residents.
Merz had recently joined the board of trustees—she was sworn in at a special meeting on Aug. 24—and her appointment filled a seat vacated mid-term by former member Peter Haws. Haws’ resignation came after he accepted a position with the Mormon Church, according to Solvang School District Superintendent Steve Seaford.
The newest board member, Olmedo, was chosen from six candidates who were all publicly interviewed at the meeting on Nov. 14, Seaford said.
“It’s very simple and it’s all very public and transparent,” Seaford said.
This article appears in Nov 23-30, 2017.