With less than two weeks left before the deadline to submit the official paperwork to run for a seat on the Skaneateles School District Board of Education, only one candidate has turned in the paperwork and only two others have taken petitions to fill out.
With three seats open this year for election, this could turn into an uncontested race, or possibly even a race without enough candidates.
Skaneateles BOE President Evan Dreyfuss is the first and so far only candidate to turn in his intent to run form and the requisite number of petition signatures — a minimum of 33 — to get on the ballot.
“I’m very satisfied with what we as a board have accomplished over the last several years and I look forward to trying to be able to continue that over the next several years,” Dreyfuss said.
Dreyfuss, along with BOE Vice President Kate Cogswell and Member Michael E. Card, all have their current seats up for election this year.
Card confirmed to the Skaneateles Press that he has decided not to run for reelection after 18 years on the Board of Education. “There’s no particular reason, it’s just time for me to make a change,” Card said.
Cogswell has not yet indicated publicly if she will run for reelection.
As of press time, only two other people besides Dreyfuss have taken candidate forms from the district, and neither one has yet officially filed to run, said Dale Bates, Skaneateles CSD assistant superintendent for business affairs and district clerk.
“At the end of March it usually picks up,” Bates said of the current dearth of announced or potential candidates.
If enough candidates do not run to fill all three seats on the board, the BOE will appoint a temporary member until either the following election, or until the board calls a special election, Bates said. Bates added, however, that he did not expect that to happen.
The deadline for filing a petition to run for the BOE is April 16.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
