Candidates begin filing for spring election

Jackson County residents seeking election to area school boards and city councils this spring have until noon on Tuesday, Jan. 27, to file.

Positions one, two, three and seven on Jackson Heights, Holton and Royal Valley school boards will be included on the April 7 ballot.

Incumbents Shelby Patch (position three on the Holton board), Boone Smith (position two on the Royal Valley board) and Neal Keeler (position three on the Jackson Heights board) have filed for the election. Orin Marshall of Holton has also filed for position two on the USD 336 Board of Education, which is currently held by Denise Sweet.

Current school board members whose seats are up for election include:

* USD 335 – David Allen (position one), Melinda Wareham (position two), Neal Keeler (position three) and Konrad Coe (position seven).

* USD 336 – Cindy Stavropoulos (position one), Denise Sweet (position two), Shelby Patch (position three) and Steven Bowser (position seven).

* USD 337 – Jim O’Toole (position one), Boone Smith (position two), Pat Tuck (position three) and Rusty Douglas (position seven). 

To file for a school board positions, candidates must register at the Jackson County Clerk’s Office, located on the second floor of the Jackson County Courthouse in Holton. Candidates can register by paying a $5 filing fee or file by petition by obtaining signatures from a certain percentage of registered voters.

To determine whether you qualify as a candidate for a specific position on a school board based on where you reside, contact your local school district office or the county clerk’s office. A map of each voting district and the boundaries of each school board position is also available at the county’s website, http://ks-jackson.manatron.com.

Several city council and mayoral positions in Jackson County’s cities – Circleville, Delia, Denison, Holton, Hoyt, Mayetta, Netawaka, Soldier, Wetmore, Whiting  –  will also be on the spring ballot.

Position one is the only seat on the Holton City Commission that will be included in this election. Incumbent Tim Morris is the only candidate who has filed for this position so far, according to the city clerk’s office.

To file for a city council or mayoral position, candidates must register with their city clerk by paying a $5 filing fee. They may also file by petition by obtaining a certain amount of signatures from registered voters.

Four people interested in the same position will cause a primary election, it was reported. That election would be March 3.  

For more information about the election, call the Jackson County Clerk’s Office at 785-364-2891.