Published: May 09, 2008 02:10 am            

Area school board elections set Saturday

Voters in five area school districts will get a last chance to pick their representatives for school board during regular trustees elections taking place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at designated polling locations.

Palestine Independent School District will have three contested races on Saturday’s ballot, with two full-term seats and one one-year unexpired seat up for grabs.

Place 6 incumbent Dr. Michael Gorby will run against new candidate Chuck Grissaffi; and Place 7 incumbent Michael Bennett will vie for his seat against newcomer Jacques “Jock” Bell.

Board-appointed Place 2 trustee Wade Hobbs filed to keep his seat by election for the one-year unexpired term; Newcomer Joe Sanchez will vie for that seat on the board as well.

Hobbs was appointed to the seat in August 2007 to replace Mark Calhoon, who resigned his post when he was appointed a district judge. The Place 2 term expires in May 2009 so Hobbs will have to run for election to the seat this year and again in 2009.

Due to a big turnover on its board, Westwood ISD has five of its seven seats up for grabs Saturday, with only one of those races being contested — that of the District 2 seat of current trustee Jay Patzke.

Patzke did not file for re-election this term, but new candidates Dr. Don Rice and Diane Davis filed to run for that seat on the board.

Also at WISD, district 1 appointee Carey McKinney filed to stay on the board for two more years; Theresa Bambeck, a trustee who was appointed to the vacated district 3 seat, runs unopposed for the full-term seat; new candidate Scot Kaiser filed to run for the full-term district 5 seat, currently held by Wayne Duhon; and appointee Carolyn Mackie filed to keep her district 6 two-year unexpired seat on the board.

Only one of the two expiring Elkhart ISD seats up for grabs is opposed this term.

New candidates Dr. Tom Witte, Dale Crane and former board member Curtis “Beaver” Franklin will vie for the position 4 seat on the board. Current position 4 trustee Phillip Brooks did not file for reelection.

Position 5 incumbent Tina Teetz will run unopposed.

Frankston ISD has two contested races.

Place 6 incumbent Mark Bostick will run against new candidate Jevette Dansby for that spot on the board. Newcomers Mark Chalk, Shelle Thomas, Harry Smith and Johnny Ray Baker filed to run for the place 7 seat on the board. Place 7 incumbent Shawn Blackwell did not file for re-election.

At Oakwood ISD, incumbents Mack Botard and Nathan Smith, along with new candidate Cindy Pate, will vie for the two available at-large seats on the board.

Grapeland ISD canceled its trustee election, as place 1 incumbent Mitchell Huff and place 2 incumbent Paul Oliver are unopposed for their respective seats on the board.

Due to changes in state law, trustee elections for Cayuga, Neches and Slocum ISDs will be held in November.

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Mary Rainwater may be reached via e-mail at mrainwater@palestineherald.com.

        

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