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The new spokesman for the Coalition for School Reform is a familiar face — Addisu Demissie of 50+1 Strategies, the Oakland-based strategist who ran the Coalition’s field operation in the primary.

Demissie replaces Janelle Erickson, who recently took a job as campaign manager for Mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel.

The Coalition was 1-1-1 in the primary.  It helped get School Board President Monica Garcia reelected, lost its bid to help unseat Westside Board Member Steve Zimmer, and in the East Valley’s District 6 its candidate of choice, Antonio Sanchez, earned a spot in the runoff against teacher Monica Ratliff.

The Coalition’s general election field campaign is already laying the ground work, registering new voters. In the runoff, the Coalition’s vote-by-mail campaign will be “more deliberate and longer,” according to a source. That might be a response to the loss in District 4, which Zimmer won thanks largely to early vote-by-mail.

The Coalition spent over $3.5 million on its slate of three candidates in the primary — $615,000 of which went to Demissie’s consulting firm.

Demissie declined to comment on the record at this time.

Previous posts: Reformers Try to Match Union “Ground Game”; Campaign Consultants Win — Either Way; A Good – But Not Great – Campaign, Say Reform Insiders