School board candidate packets due Aug. 26

With 11 open board seats in three local districts, school board hopefuls have until noon on Friday, Aug. 26 to file paperwork with the Putnam County Voter Registration Office.

Candidate packets are currently available at the office on the second floor of the Putnam County Courthouse.

Candidates must collect at least 10 signatures of registered voters within their school districts. The packets come with room for 20 signatures.

Six candidates -- four of them incumbents -- have filed across the three districts.

Four Cloverdale School Corporation seats are open with three coming from Cloverdale Township and another from Jackson Township, Owen County.

Incumbents Donna Fidler and Christopher Mann have filed for two of the three open spots in Cloverdale Township. No other candidates, including fellow incumbent Rob Schroer, have filed.

No registration information was available as of Tuesday on the Jackson Township position, which is currently occupied by Bobbi Nees.

In the North Putnam district, board members Mark Hoke (at-large) and Darrell Wiatt (Russell Township) have filed to seek another term. Neither faces a challenger at this time.

Amber Greene is seeking the Franklin Township spot currently occupied by Jill Summerlot, while Dustin Osborn will be on the ballot for Monroe Township, currently represented by Jim Bowling.

No candidates have filed for South Putnam School Board, but three of the five seats on the board will be on the ballot. The at-large seat (currently occupied by Anthony Heavin), Marion Township (Steve Cash) and Washington Township (Angie Nichols) are all up for election in 2016.

The terms of most of these seats begin on Jan. 1, 2017, except for the North Putnam and South Putnam at-large seats, which take effect on Jan. 1, 2018.

For more information about candidate requirements, contact Voter Registration Clerk Stacia Hathaway at 655-1538.