Nominating petitions available for RCS special election

Nominating petitions for candidates seeking to run for the RCS Board of Education seat available during the October 9 special election are now available at the District Office, 26 Thatcher Street in Selkirk.

The vacancy on the nine-seat board was created by the June 30 resignation of board member Beth Hazelton.

Petitions containing at least 45 signatures of qualified district residents must be submitted by 4 p.m. on September 10 for a candidate to appear on the Oct. 9 ballot.

The special election for the term is a non-binding vote; however, the board has expressed its desire to appoint the top vote recipient.

The reason the vote is being conducted in a non-binding manner is that the district – under state law – would have to conduct the election within 90 days of Hazelton’s resignation, which would be by the end of September.  Under state law, the board’s other options are to not fill the vacancy or appoint a person to the position without conducting an election.

To give district residents a say in who should fill the seat and save taxpayers the cost of two separate votes by aligning the board election with the proposition vote, the Board of Education decided to conduct the non-binding vote.

Whoever is appointed to fill the vacancy will serve until June 30, 2008.