CARROLLTON — The Carroll County School Board agreed Monday to ask for a special election to elect a new board member from Beat 2.
However, there appears to be some confusion over when the special election could be held.
Jim Strong resigned from the Beat 2 post in October.
During November’s meeting and again at Monday’s special meeting, school board members failed to agree on appointing someone to serve as Beat 2’s representative until the term expires at the end of 2014.
Laura Davis made a motion to appoint Dollinda Malone, who came in second to Strong in the special election, to fill the post after Marcus Kuykendall’s resignation. Rubye Miller seconded the motion, and the vote was 2-2, with Kenneth DeLoach and Board President Ben Shute voting against Malone.
A motion to appoint Kuykendall also resulted in a 2-2 vote, with Miller and Davis voting no.
The board then voted to send a letter to the county election commission asking it to hold a special election for the Beat 2 seat as soon as possible, according to business manager Mimi Alldread.
School Superintendent Billy Joe Ferguson said he learned from Circuit Clerk Durward Stanton that Monday was the last day the board could appoint someone, and he let Shute know.
“I didn’t know they had only 60 days after the resignation, so I felt they should know,” said Ferguson, who wasn’t present at Monday’s meeting. “The board attorney, Lori Bell, was out of town until Monday, so they met then. That was the last day.”
According to Stanton, the election cannot be held before November 2013, the date of the next general election.
Alldread said that is what state law says, although DeLoach differs. He said Monday that he had talked to the Secretary of State’s office and was told a special election could be held within 30 days.
Alldread said Bell agreed that state law says the special election cannot be held until November 2013, but she was directed to ask that an election be held as soon as possible.
