Six candidates - all incumbents - file to run for seven seats on Chester school board

Barring multiple write-in candidates the Chester school board is expected to look almost exactly as it does now following the April 2019 election.

Seven seats are up for election on April 2, and six incumbent members of the board have filed to run again. Candidates are Trent Vasquez, Dan Colvis, Charles Fricke, Debra Caraway, Mitchell Hammel and Thomas Welge.

The seventh member of the board, Jamie Eggemeyer, is not running again.

If no one files to run as a write-in candidate by the Jan. 31 deadline, the school board will appoint a seventh member after the election.

However, there is no limit to the number of write-in candidates who can file.

The entire Chester school board is up for election in April - instead of the usual situation where half of the board is elected every two years - because the board is now being elected "at large," a decision voters made at the November election.

To return to the staggered election system in future years, three seats will be elected for two years, and four seats will be 4-year terms.

This will be decided by a random drawing - although the seat that has no candidate will get tabbed as one of the 2-year terms, according to Superintendent Brian Pasero.

Other school board candidates

<h3 class="leadin">Steeleville Unit District 138: Three candidates have filed for three open seats: incumbents Timothy Mitchell and Lisa Ernsting and newcomer Alinda Jeffers. Barring write-ins, this race will be uncontested.</h3>

<h3 class="leadin">Red Bud Unit District 132: Three incumbents are running for re-election, Larry Gielow, Diane Schoenbeck and Robert Doty. Barring write-ins, this race will be uncontested.</h3>

<h3 class="leadin">Sparta Unit District 140: Four candidates are running for four, 4-year terms. Incumbents Kenneth Kempfer, Corey Rheinecker and Kevin Holliday are running for re-election. Member Bert Byington is not running for another term, and his seat is expected to be filled by newcomer Jennifer Morgan. Barring write-ins, this race will be uncontested.</h3>

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