There is no candidate at all for the county school board seat

Suppose they gave an election and nobody ran? That is apparently what has happened concerning a seat on the Union County School District Board of Trustees.

The 5 p.m. deadline passed Friday, Sept. 4, with no one having turned in qualifying papers for the race.

Union County Circuit Clerk Phyllis Stanford said two people had picked up the necessary paperwork to qualify but neither had come back by the deadline.

The school board seat that will be on the Nov. 4 ballot is for Union County School district 5, in the East Union area.

The incumbent trustee, Wayne Mahon, had expressed interest in seeking re-election earlier but did not qualify.

While the Mississippi Code of 1972 governing county school trustee elections does not specifically address a situation where there is no candidate at all, it does provide for filling vacancies.

When a vacancy occurs – and apparently one will occur next Jan. 1 – the remaining members of the board are to appoint a trustee who will serve until the next general election. That trustee must be qualified as any other trustee and must be a resident of the appropriate county school district.

In the event the remaining county school board members cannot agree on an appointee, any two can petition the election commission to hold a special election to fill the post.

The board members have 60 days in which to make their appointment once the vacancy occurs.

All county school board members are elected from their districts and no one in a separate municipal school district such as New Albany can run or vote for a seat on the county board.

According to Mississippi Code, trustees serve staggered six-year terms.

Current county school trustees include Terry Cook, District 1; Mickey Basil, District 2; Mike Browning, District 3; Daphnia McMillen, District 4; and Wayne Mahon, District 5.

The New Albany School District also has five trustees, but they are selected differently from the county.

Four of the five city trustees are appointed by aldermen, one from each of the four wards.

The city district also encompasses a couple of small areas that are outside the city limits as well as one large area that extends north on Hwy. 15 and out Hwy. 30 East nearly to Pleasant Ridge.

The fifth trustee, David Rainey, represents that area and is elected by popular vote by residents who live in that added territory.

New Albany school trustees include David Rainey, Jill Shaw, Barbara Washington, Mark Garrett and Ren Nelson.

The general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 3. If a runoff is needed after that it will be Tuesday, Nov. 24.