Home - Local News       Sports     Obituaries     Editorial   Social   Archives

Local News - May 2002

School Board considers at-large election

By JACQUELINE CASEY, LTN Staff Writer

May 10, 2002 - The days of district representation on the Lincoln County School Board may be numbered.

Wednesday the board agreed to develop a plan that would seat members in a countywide at-large election. The plan will be up for comment Monday at 7 p.m. during a public hearing at Lincolnton Middle School.

The board will hold a called meeting immediately following the hearing to vote on taking the plan before county commissioners. If commissioners OK the plan, it will go before state lawmakers for final approval.

The board decided to review its election system after a member raised questions earlier this year concerning district boundary lines.

According to the board’s legal counsel, federal election laws require that any changes to an existing election method consider racial and population census data.

During Wednesday’s 90-minute work session at the school administrative offices, the board concluded that at-large elections — the same method used to elect Lincoln County commissioners — would meet federal requirements and allow the board to remain at seven members.

Based on 2000 census figures and federal election laws, continuing under a district representation system would require redrawing Lincoln County’s voting lines to balance the districts demographically or adjusting the number of representatives per district — actions the board rejected as too costly and confusing to voters.

Under an electoral district plan using 2000 census figures, North Brook Township, where 5,175 residents were counted, would be allotted one representative, while Catawba Springs Township’s 14,852 residents would qualify it for three seats. Such representation could increase the number of board members to 11, said board chairwoman Jean Dellinger.

“According to population that is the way it should be and that is fair, but is it?” she said.

If approved, at-large voting would replace the mixed township method of election used since 1974 when Lincolnton City and Lincoln County school systems merged. Since then, each of the county’s five townships — Catawba Springs, Howards Creek, Ironton, Lincolnton and North Brook — have each been  represented by a single board member. A sixth member represents Lincolnton outside-city-limits and a seventh member is elected at-large.

Though six board members represent a specific district, they are elected by voters countywide. Under the new plan, seats would be awarded to the top seven vote-getters countywide, without regard to home address.

That could result in all or several of the members residing within the same community, Chris Campbell, an Asheville school board attorney filling in for Lincolnton attorney David Black, told the board.

“They could live on the same street,” Campbell said.

Even so, he said, “as long as you are elected countywide, you don’t have the census concerns and you don’t have the federal concerns.”

If the plan becomes law, the at-large method could be used in  November’s election when  Catawba Springs representative Jean Dellinger and Howards Creek representative Sara Miller face re-election. The Lincolnton outside-city-limits seat vacated by Jack Garner will also be filled. As board candidates are non-partisan, they do not participate in a primary election.

At-large member Tony Jenkins raised the issue of how school board members are elected in February. Jenkins told the board he wanted the Lincolnton inside-city-limits district voting line clarified. Under the 1974 merger plan, living within Lincolnton city limits was the only residency requirement for that seat.

Annexation has since pushed the city line eastward creating overlapping Lincolnton city and Ironton Township lines. Jenkins said that change raised the possibility of an Ironton resident representing Lincolnton on the board or vice versa.

“I wanted to know who sets up the boundary lines for candidates,” said Jenkins.

Counties surrounding Lincoln use a mixed bag of methods to elect school board members: Iredell’s board is elected by district; the Catawba board is totally at-large; Gaston County has seven members elected by district and two at-large members; six of Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s nine school board members are seated by district vote, three are elected countywide.

Board member Sara Miller said if the at-large system becomes law in Lincoln County, members should not play favorites with their neighborhood school.

“I think it’s important that a board member feel they represent the whole county.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Home - Local News       Sports     Obituaries   Editorial   Social   Archives

Terms and Conditions