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Commentary: Eanes school board should call special election to fill vacancy
Monday, June 15, 2009
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It seems obvious that because Eanes school board Gail King resigned less than a month after running unopposed for re-election, a special election is the logical way to fill the vacancy.
A petition drive is under way to ask the school board to fill the vacancy by appointing the only other candidate in the recent race, Sharman Reed. She is qualified and willing to serve. To appoint anyone else should be interpreted as nothing less than an act of bad faith.
The vacancy should be filled with someone passionate enough to go through the process of filing for candidacy and is willing to place themselves in the public’s eye for scrutiny. Reed was the only non-incumbent willing to do that in the May election, so she would be the only logical appointee if the school board decides to pursue that option. Otherwise, she should at least be given the option to run against all comers in another election. A full three-year term is at stake, and the taxpayers deserve a say in something as important as one of their seven representatives.
In a perfect world, citizens would be stepping forward to run for every position on the school board on each Election Day in May. Choices are what make democracy work at its best; however, in recent years, school board members have run unopposed. Maybe that says that the vast majority of taxpayers are happy with the current school board, or perhaps it is just a statement about apathy standing in the path of qualified candidates.
A special election seems to be the best way to fill the vacancy because it would say without any doubt that the school board wants to give the public at large an opportunity to answer a call to serve.
By Ed Allen, Editor
Let’s talk fiscal responsibility. Ms. Reed was the only member of our community that was motivated to run against an incumbent. Over 1100 taxpayers voted for her. Budgets are tight at home and in our schools. Funding a special election so close to one just held should be our second choice, not the first. Appoint Sharman Reed to the Eanes ISD Board of Trustees. She’s a well qualified and proven community leader. Her recent campaign illustrated a candidate motivated and willing to engage with and carefully consider the interests of every taxpayer and student.
There is a well qualified candidate ready and able to serve. The Board should appoint Sharman Reed.
A special election in November will cost money not to mention drag out the process and then another election will take place the following May. Is this what the Board wants to do when they are hoping to have a Bond Elction that will be controversial in May??? I am not sure what school of PR the Board is going to but their money is obviously being wasted.
“To appoint anyone else should be interpreted as nothing less than an act of bad faith.” Thanks, Editor, for making that point. Given Mr. Strickland’s statement in Dane Anderson’s coverage on this topic, it would appear that bad faith is a real prospect. Voters need a choice here, and since Ms King denied that choice to voters by failing to note in May that she was no longer going to be a resident of Austin by August, the voters deserve a trustee who has a record, and not someone chosen by cronies on the board.
But the election date would, according to EISD policy BBC (Legal) and Election Code 41.001(a) not be until the general election in November, forcing us to be a member short on the board for almost six months because this vacancy was not announced until after the election. Also, the U.S. justice department would have to “pre-clear” it.
For democracy to work, our citizens deserve representation now. Sharman has already garnered over 500 votes on the online petition, which doesn’t include the hard copy petition, in five days during a vacation time when the grocery stores and road in this area are noticeably underpopulated. This already exceeds the approximately 450 people who signed Stones campaign ad (not all of whom were EISD residents).
Sharman’s support is broad based and much of it comes from people who never met her before the campaign. For those of us who have known her and her talent for years, it is heartening that she would volunteer for this duty. I’ve been personally involved in trying to recruit candidates to run for trustee, and I know that there aren’t a lot of folks willing to take on this unpaid thankless and time-consuming job. I think we would all win by appointing Sharman now–and not waiting six months for an election!