Seven school board races contested in Nov. 2 election
Aug. 28—There are no federal or statewide races to be determined in the Nov. 2 general election, but by no means will there be an empty ballot.
Seven area school board races will be contested, with two four-person races, following Tuesday's filing day at the Curry and Roosevelt clerk's offices.
Three of the members of the currently suspended Floyd School Board are running for their positions, with only one running unopposed. Vicki Banister is running unopposed for Position 1, while Jeff Essary will run against Kenneth Reid for Position 2 and Charlsea Lee will run against Adams Burns in Position 5.
The five-member board was suspended Aug. 4 after declining to rescind votes to make the Public Education Department's COVID-19 mitigation protocols optional. The board is fighting the suspension, and has a hearing on the matter scheduled for Sept. 29. Carolyn Graham, a spokesperson for the PED, said the hearing will determine if the board members are reinstated or permanently suspended and ineligible for the positions.
There will be two contested races for the Portales school board. Jimmie Standefer and Angela Smith are running for Position 3, with incumbent Alan Garrett not running for the position. Antonio Sanchez is running for his Position 4 seat, and will be opposed by William Hilliard, Braden Fraze and Meredith Seifert.
Four people are running for the District 1 position on the Clovis school board, with incumbent Kyle Snider on a ballot with Gayla Brumfield, Sharon Epps and Rosa Sanchez.
The two other contested school board races are for Texico's Position 4 (Troy Teague, Dustin Ptolemy, Mark Peabody) and Dora's Position 4 (Shauna Wade, Jana Roberts).
The ballots include 33 uncontested races — 12 school board positions, a mayoral position, two community college trustee spots, nine council positions, two hospital trustee spots and seven supervisor spots on soil and conservation districts.
The following additional candidates will not face opposition:
— Dora mayor, Jack Burnett
— Grady village council: Emory Jones, Kathy Edwards
— Melrose village council: Meadow Forget, James Mitchell
— Clovis school board: Cindy Osburn, Position 2
— Grady school board: Colten Grau, Position 4; Phillip Borden, Position 5
— Melrose school board: Tyler Belcher, Position 4; Larry DeVaney, Position 5
— Texico school board: Bo Stevens, Position 5
— Clovis Community College Board of Trustees: Lora Harlan, District 3; Terry Martin, District 5
— Central Curry Soil and Water Conservation Board: Zachary Cordel, Supervisor 3; Clint Harden, Supervisor 4
— Dora village council: Billy Bob Cathey, Position 1; Lewis Walker, Position 2
— Floyd village council: Clay Lee, Position 2
— Causey village council: Jimmy Ray Stokes, Position 3; Teresa Nance, Position 4
— Dora school board: Kerry Osburn, Position 2, Brandon Dewbre, Position 5
— Elida School board position 3, Garland Creighton, Position 3; Virginia Clemmons, Position 4; Scott Burton, Position 5
— Border Soil and Water Conservation board, Darrell Victor, Supervisor 2; James Daugherty, Supervisor 3; Rhiannon North, Supervisor 4
— Roosevelt Soil and Water Conservation District: Quentin Carnes, Supervisor 3; Michael Cone, Supervisor 4
— Roosevelt Hospital Board: Scott Reeves, District 1; Robin Inge, District 2
There will also be several ballot questions in each county:
— In Curry County, Melrose and Texico school districts are proposing a general obligation school bond question, while the Grady district is proposing a capital improvements tax ballot question.
Additionally, the city of Clovis has submitted a ballot question on allowing retail businesses to qualify for public support under the Local Economic Development Act. Communities of more than 35,000 were authorized to add retail as a category of economic development following the passage of Senate Bill 140, but a citizen election is required to change Clovis' LEDA policies.
— There will be five ballot questions with Roosevelt County schools — a bond question in Portales, the general obligation bond questions in Texico and Melrose and tax questions in Elida and House.
