Candidates file for positions on county school boards

Dallas City Elementary School District and Hamilton School Unit District will have contests in the election of school board members on Tuesday, April 7.

The deadline for candidates to file their nominating petitions for the election was Monday, Jan. 26.

In Dallas City, six candidates filed to run for the three open seats on the school board. Candidates are Betty Blaesing, Anthony Cisneros, Eva Castillo, Larry Menschel (incumbent), Darren Smith (incumbent) and James French.

In Hamilton five candidates have filed for the four open seats to be filled. Two board members can be selected from the four candidates who live in Montebello Township: Dion Gregory, Debra Artman, Doug Summers (incumbent) and Rebecca Bliss.

Hamilton's board must have at least two members from outside Montebello Township. Craig Huls (incumbent) is a candidate from Sonora Township. Rusty Dowdall and Tim Hempen did not file for re-election.

Illini West High School will select three board members, one from each of the elementary school districts that feed into the high school. One candidate has filed for each of those areas: R.D. Trout (incumbent) from LaHarpe, Robert Clifton (incumbent) from Dallas City, and Eric Bryan of Carthage. Jennifer Edholm of Carthage did not run for re-election.

In Carthage Elementary School district, Linda Stoverink (incumbent), Sherry Huston (incumbent) and Trish Markley filed to fill the three vacancies on the board. Markley served on the former Carthage Unit District board.

In LaHarpe Elementary District, three seats are up for election on the board. Mark Irish (incumbent) and Rex Huston (incumbent) filed for re-election, along with Darren Spangler, who served on the Committee of Ten that prepared a plan for the Illini West convergence.

In Warsaw School District, three incumbents are running for re-election to fill three openings on the board. They are Debbie Beeler, Steve Lucie and Don Roskamp.

From the Nauvoo-Colusa School District, four candidates have filed petitions for the four vacancies on the board: Michele Snyder, Doran Cox, Anthony Knipe and Gerri Pack.

At Southeastern School district, four board members are to be chosen in the election. Candidates who filed include Lyle Paben (incumbent), Rick Ramsey (incumbent), Jason Ippensen and Steven Bruenger.