The time to run for an open Richmond County school board seat is now.
Candidate qualifying is set to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17 at Richmond County Board of Elections. It runs all day Tuesday and Wednesday and ends at noon Thursday.
The opening is to represent District 6, which takes in areas around Cross Creek High School, Richmond County Technical Career Magnet, Gracewood Elementary and Richmond Hill K-8.
To qualify and hold office, a candidate must live in the district and be at least 18 years old. Employees of the school system are not eligible.
The qualifying fee to run is $100. If elected, trustees make a part-time salary of $14,000, plus reimbursement for travel and training.
Only two people have formally expressed an interest in the District 6 seat: Ed Lowery and Laura Green. Both filed notices announcing their intent to accept campaign contributions.
Lowery reported raising just $600 in as of Jan. 5, all in in-kind contributions from Gerri Fleming and Lanier’s Meat Market. Green hasn’t filed a report.
Lowery is a former school system employee at Murphey Middle School who has worked at area funeral homes. He currently works for Williams Funeral Home.
Green owns a daycare, Learning Tree Christian Academy, on Tobacco Road and was presented with the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club. The mother of three co-directs the ICandy Dance School.
The District 6 seat is open because trustee-elect Tyrique Robinson ended his life a week after the election. The school board kept incumbent A.K. Hasan in the seat until a special election could be held.
