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Manawa has one contested school board seat

Three Manawa School Board seats will be on the April 1 ballot.

David Strebe is the incumbent and only candidate on the ballot for Zone 3 – Helvetia and Union. Helene Pohl is the incumbent and only candidate on the ballot for Zone 4 – St. Lawrence and Ogdensburg.

The only contested race is in Zone 5 which covers Royalton and Mukwa. Russell Hollman, the incumbent, is running for re-election and will be opposed by Rick Lowney. The winner will finish the two years left on a three year term. There were no candidates on the ballot for this seat in the election held April 2, 2013. Hollman received 29 votes as a write-in candidate – the most of any write-in. Hollman declined the seat at that time.

The school board asked for applications so it could appoint someone to fill the seat. Lowney applied to fill the vacant seat, but at the June 2013 school board meeting, he was unable to provide proof of residence. He stated he had just moved into the district and hadn’t done all the change of address paperwork yet. It was decided the board would take up the matter at a future meeting, after Lowney could provide the proper paperwork for proof of residence.

Before the July school board meeting, Hollman also submitted an application to fill the vacant seat. In his application letter to the school board, Hollman stated he was elected to the seat in the spring election but was unable to serve at that time. He also said in the letter that he wished to resubmit his name to represent the residents covered by that seat on the board.

The school board interviewed Hollman at the July school board meeting. Lowney was not present during the interview portion of the July meeting. After Hollman was interviewed, with no other applicants present, the board voted 5-0 to appoint Hollman to the board. Board member Strebe was absent from this meeting.

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