School board incumbents file during opening days of period
One city council incumbent files

The filing period had only just begun when four candidates filed papers to run for city council or school board.

All three incumbents on the Port Aransas School Board of Trustees whose positions expire in May have filed for re-election.

One incumbent on the Port Aransas City Council has filed. Two other positions expire in May.

CITY COUNCIL

Place 1 Councilmember Beverly Charles has filed for election to a third term.

Rick Pratt, councilman in Place 5, is completing his first term.

Place 3, held by Jerry Watson until his death in January, will be on the ballot. At a special meeting Thursday, Feb. 8, the city council appointed James L. Polewchak Jr., 36, to fill the remaining three months of Watson's term, which expires in May (see related story).

Terms are for two years, and council members are limited to three consecutive terms.

SCHOOL BOARD

All three incumbents on the school board whose terms expire have filed for re-election. They are Bob Smith in Place 4, Chuck Borders in Place 5, and Rick Adams in Place 6.

CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

Candidates are invited to submit statements listing their qualifications and reasons for seeking office to the South Jetty. The statements will be published, with photos of the candidates, at no charge through the March 15 edition. Statements submitted after the final deadline may have their statements published at regular advertising rates.

Statements must be submitted before noon each Tuesday between now and Tuesday, March 13, to be published in the following Thursday's edition. They should be limited to 600 words and must be typewritten in upper and lower case (handwritten statements or those written in all capital letters will not be accepted).

Statements may be e-mailed, with 'Candidate Statement' written in the subject line, to southjetty@centurytel. net, or mailed to P.O. Box 1117, Port Aransas, TX 78373.

Candidates may submit photos of themselves or have a photo taken by prior arrangement at the South Jetty office, 141 W. Cotter St. Photos e-mailed, to the address mentioned previously, should be attached as jpeg files.

CANDIDATES' NIGHT

The South Jetty will host Candidates ' Night for candidates in contested races only at a date to be announced.

Each candidate will have a certain amount of time, depending upon the number of candidates in the race, to make an opening statement and, after the questioning period, a specified period of time to make a closing statement.

South Jetty co-publisher and editor Mary Henkel Judson will be moderator. She will pose an impromptu question, to which candidates in each race will have two minutes to respond.

In addition to the impromptu question, candidates in each race will have three minutes to give prepared responses to the questions they draw immediately prior to the forum. Their opponents will have two minutes to give impromptu responses.

FILING PROCEDURES

The filing period opened Monday, Feb. 12, and will continue through Monday, March 12.

Candidates for city council should file with City Secretary Esther Arzola at city hall, 710 W. Ave. A.

School board candidates should file with Penny Slingerland in the PAISD administration office at 100 S. Station St. On the final day of filing, Monday, March 12, candidates for school board may file at city hall since the school will be closed for Spring Break.

ELECTION CALENDAR

Applications for early ballots to be voted by mail may be requested of the city and school starting Tuesday, March 13. Ballots will be mailed to applicants as soon as they are available.

Candidates will draw for the order in which their names will appear on the ballot on Friday, March 16

Saturday, April 12, is the last day voters can register in time to vote in the May 12 election, or to transfer voter registration to a different county.

Early voting will run from Monday, April 30 through Tuesday, May 8.

PRESIDENT'S DAY HOLIDAY

President's Day on Monday, Feb. 19, will put a halt to filing for city council.

City hall will be closed to observe the holiday that honors Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Prospective candidates for city council will have to work around the holiday. The filing period ends on Monday, March 12.

City services, such as trash pickup, law enforcement and emergency medical services, will operate as usual on Monday.