List of candidates finalized
There will be six candidates running for three open Ward 2 City Commission seats and 15 for seven open Rome BOE seats.
With the close of qualifying on Friday afternoon, the races for open seats on the Rome City commission and school board have taken form. The city elections will take place on Nov. 7.
To qualify, candidates had to pay 3 percent of the annual salary for the positions they are running for — $252 for the City Commission and $126 for the Rome Board of Education. The terms for both the commission and school board are for four years. Voters must be registered by Oct. 10 to cast their ballots.
The contest for three Ward 2 City Commission seats will have six candidates. Incumbents Jamie Doss, Sue Lee and Wendy Davis are seeking re-election, said Rome City Clerk Joe Smith. They will be challenged by Monica Sheppard, Randy Quick and Bill Kerestes, Smith continued.
All seven school board seats are up for grabs, and 15 candidates threw their hats in the ring. Incumbents Elaina Beeman, Will Byington, Faith Collins, Richard Dixon and Dale Swann will be on the ballot. Smith said that current board members Bruce Jones and Cheryl Huffman opted not to run for another term.
Valerie Howard, Lisa Davis, Eric McDowell, Ron Roach, Jill Fisher, J.J. Walker Seifert, Alvin Jackson, David Ehrler, Jim O’Hara and John Uldrick make up the 10 challengers in the crowded race.
Qualifying for three open Cave Spring City Council posts closed Wednesday. Councilman Charles Jackson is unopposed for the Post 4 seat. Nellie McCain, an incumbent, is pitted against Marley Pearls in the Post 3 race. Nancy Fricks and Linde Wentz are challenging each other for the Post 5 seat, which is currently held by Mike Ragland, who is not running for another term.
Also on Nov. 7, voters across the county will decide the fate of the proposed extensions of the current 1-cent special purpose local option sales tax and 1-cent education local option sales tax.