MEEKER I Janelle Urista, the election official for the Meeker School District’s Board of Education (BOE) elections, said Monday that Kevin Amack, a Meeker insurance agent and parent of a district student, is thus far the first and only person to return a qualified petition for the Nov. 3 board election.
Urista also indicated there are now four other people who have petitions out intending to establish their nomination. Prospective candidates have until Aug. 28 to return completed petitions.
While there are four seats available for election this year, only three of these are four-year seats. The fourth seat is for a two-year term. This circumstance arises from the fact that Dan Chinn was elected to the board for a four-year term in 2013. When Chinn resigned in 2014, Tom Allen was appointed to his seat by the board. State law, however, only allows such an appointee to serve until the next election. So that seat is up for election for the remaining two years of Chinn’s original four-year term.
Candidates are required to declare whether they are running for a four-year seat or the two-year seat on their circulated petition.
Amack and the four individuals with petitions currently being circulated are all filing for four-year terms. If all of them do qualify, there would then be at least five candidates for the three four-year terms and none for the two-year term. If no one does file a qualified petition for the two-year term, the board would then appoint a person to fill that vacancy.
Current BOE members Tom Allen and Kurt Blunt have indicated they plan to run for re-election. Current members Marnell Bradfield and Mindy Burke have said they are as yet undecided on their candidacy.
Dr. Bob Dorsett confirmed with the paper that he is circulating a petition to become a candidate. Dorsett said he “would much rather be in a classroom teaching than be on the school board,” but that his concerns about education drive his candidacy.
Amack said he doesn’t “see a need for any massive changes, but that the board needs caring, conscientious members who are committed to the community and who will attempt to make well-informed decisions.”
Candidacy nomination only requires the signatures of 25 qualified electors.
The petitions can be obtained at the district administration office at 555 Garfield St., Meeker, and must returned to that office by Aug. 28. Urista can be contacted at 878-9040 or janelle.urista@meeker. k12.co.us.
Candidates must have been a resident and qualified elector of the district since at least Nov. 3, 2014, and cannot have been convicted of a sexual offense against a child.
