Area school board candidates file papers

Bill Zinn

The nomination papers have been filed, creating a four-person race for three seats around the Spencer school board table this fall.

While Ruthven-Ayrshire currently has three people vying for three school board seats, the neighboring districts of Clay Central-Everly and South Clay will undergo a search for write-in candidates to fill positions around their board tables.

If elected on Sept. 8, the men and women seeking to occupy these roles are committing to serve four-year terms.

David Schlichtemeier

For Spencer, the board positions currently held by David Schlichtemeier, Barb Van Wyk and Ed Ver Steeg are up for grabs. As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Schlichtemeier, a White Drug pharmacist who resides at 2575 300th St., Spencer, had announced his intentions of running for a third term. Former one-term Spencer board member Dean Mechler, an account manager for WinField Solutions L.L.C. who lives at 711 W. 10th St., Spencer, had also indicated his readiness for a re-election run. Bill Zinn, an Iowa Workforce Development Center workforce advisor who resides at 811 W. 10th St., Spencer, finalized his candidacy. So had Bob Whittenburg, a co-owner of Chuck Whittenburg Distributing who lives at 321 E. 18th St., Spencer.

Dean Mechler

For South Clay residents, who are anticipating their district's dissolution next July, three board positions must be filled until South Clay has tended to all district business and officially closed its doors. Joe Hoffman, an area farmer, has filed his nomination papers seeking a third term as a South Clay board member. Incumbents Don Salton and Mike Hildebrand, who were both on vacation as of Thursday afternoon's filing deadline, had expressed intentions of running as write-in candidates. Salton, a farmer who resides at 4095 280th Ave., Dickens, had filed his petition papers, but did not include an affidavit of candidacy. Hildebrand, a commercial pilot who lives at 601 Church St., Webb, has also verbalized a desire to serve a fifth year as a South Clay school board member.

Bob Whittenburg

In Ruthven-Ayrshire, the positions currently held by Dan Geelan, Barry Fischer and Susan Sikora have three individuals seeking them. While Geelan, an area farmer, has decided to not run for re-election, Sikora, a Pro Cooperative bookkeeper who resides at 3433 355th St., Ruthven, is seeking a fourth term. Fischer, who works at Spencer Avionics and lives at 3834 380th St., Ruthven, has also put his name in for a second term around the Ruthven-Ayrshire board table. Tammy Chapman, a registered dietician for UDMO's eight-county WIC program who resides at 4013 340th St., Emmetsburg, has also formally announced her candidacy.

At Clay Central-Everly, the board positions currently held by Brad Phelps, David Saboe and Brian Batschelet will become available this fall. While Batschelet and Phelps will not seek board terms again, Saboe, a Cycle Country machinist who lives at 105 Queen St., Royal, has announced he will for the District 4 seat he currently holds. Clay County Engineer Scott Rinehart, who resides at 4535 U.S. Highway 71, Sioux Rapids, has filed papers for the District 5 board position. And, as it stands now, Clay Central-Everly's District 2 position will be filled by a write-in candidate this fall.

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Key Dates for 2009 School Board Election