Dateline: March 10, 2005

Local boards all report lack of candidates

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Based on the number of candidates for this year’s local elections, citizens are either very happy with the way things are, or they just don’t care.

With the passing of Monday’s deadline to file for office, none of the six local governments with open seats on their boards were reporting the possibility of contested races.

Officials at Clarendon’s City Hall said that all incumbents, Mayor Tex Selvidge and Aldermen Bobbie Kidd and Michael Tibbets, had signed up for reelection, and no one was challenging their reelections.

The City of Howardwick had even less interest as not even the incumbents filed for office. Mayor Nancy Davis had previously announced that she would not seek reelection due to her daughter’s ongoing battle with cancer, and Aldermen Marvin Elam and Bill Barton did not sign up to run for full terms in office. They are serving out the terms of former aldermen Mike Rowland and Dewey Linley respectively.

Howardwick City Secretary Dianna Knight said if no one signs up as a write-in candidate by next Monday’s deadline, all incumbents would be held over in office until appointments can be made to retain or replace them.

Hedley residents won’t be seeing any changes to their city’s board of aldermen. Incumbent Aldermen Bruce Howard, Pam Casteel, Tangela Copelin, and Ricki Baker all signed up to serve, and no one else did so. Howard, Casteel, and Copelin will receive full terms in office, and Baker will serve out the unexpired term of Terry Stevens to which she was appointed.

The Donley County Hospital District had three positions expiring on its Board of Directors, and incumbents will retain those seats. Don Thornberry (Place 1) and Alan Fletcher (Place 2) filed for re-election, and Melinda McAnear (Place 3) will now receive a full term on the board after finishing the term started by Andy Wheatly.

Administrative offices at Clarendon ISD were closed this week, but a school official reported last week that only incumbent trustees Weldon Sears and Lance Thornberry had filed to run for office.

Hedley ISD also had two trustee positions open this year, and now they have only two candidates. Anthony Knowles is seeking re-election, and Brannon Stephens will be joining the board. Long-time trustee Rhonda Shaw chose not to run again, and HISD Superintendent Bryan Hill said she had done a good job in office since 1997.

“We really appreciate the service that Rhonda gave to the Hedley school,” Hill said.

Local elections had been scheduled to be held Saturday, May 7, but boards with uncontested races will likely choose to cancel those elections.