Five candidates for the four open seats on the Austin Board of Education filed to be put on the ballot this morning and Monday, the first day they were allowed to do so.

Wednesday, August 25, 1999

Five candidates for the four open seats on the Austin Board of Education filed to be put on the ballot this morning and Monday, the first day they were allowed to do so.

The filing period began at 8 a.m. and continues through 5 p.m. on Sept. 7.

On Monday, incumbents Carolyn Bogott and Brian McAlister filed, along with challengers Arnold Lang and Larry W. Andersen. This morning, Cathryn A. Green filed.

The two remaining incumbents, Lew Aase and John Ulland, have not yet filed.

Al Eckmann, the district’s director of business management services, is responsible for managing the filing process.

Prospective candidates must fill out a filing affidavit and pay a $2 filing charge.

The ballots must be approved by the school board and printed by Oct. 1, when absentee ballots for the Nov. 2 election become available.

"It doesn’t hurt to file," Eckmann said, adding that candidates can withdraw before noon on Sept. 8.

To be eligible for a seat on the school board, candidates must be eligible to vote, must be 21 by Jan. 1, 2000, must live in the district 30 days prior to election, and must not be a registered sex crime offender.

Every other year there is a school board election – one, like this year, with four open seats and one, coming in November 2001, with three open seats.

When asked about the anticipated number of candidates, Eckmann offered, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Also on the Nov. 2 ballot will be the district’s request for a $1.66 million levy override annually for 10 years.

Unlike the city council election, in which voters are asked to select from candidates within their ward, the school board election is district wide. The top four vote-getters will get the open seats.