By MARY RAINWATER
The Palestine Herald
March 26, 2008 12:28 am
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Potential candidates for respective school board elections have officially filed to run for their seat of choice and are making preparations for the upcoming election May 10.
Palestine Independent School District will have three contested races this May, with two full-term seats and one one-year unexpired seat up for grabs.
Place 6 incumbent Dr. Michael Gorby has filed for election to his seat on the board and will run against new candidate Chuck Grissaffi. 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 in the May 2008 election and again in 2009.
Due to a fruit-basket turnover of sorts, Westwood ISD had five of its seven seats up for grabs this spring, but only one of those races will be 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 that 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 Mackey filed to keep her two-year unexpired seat on the board.
At Elkhart ISD, only one of the two seats up for grabs are opposed.
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 this May.
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, filed to run for the two available at-large seats on the board.
Grapeland ISD will likely cancel its trustee election, as place 1 incumbent Mitchell Huff and place 2 incumbent Paul Oliver run unopposed for their respective seats on the board.
Due to changes in state law, trustee elections for Cayuga, Neches and Slocum ISD’s 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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