Half a dozen applicants have sought to fill a vacancy on the Pitt County Board of Education created by the departure of a member half way through her term.
The board on April 8 will interview five people for the District 1 seat left open by the February resignation of representative Tracy Everette-Lenz. The sixth applicant was deemed ineligible to serve because she lives outside the district’s boundaries.
Gary Davis, who ran for the District 1 seat in the last two elections, is among those seeking the temporary appointment to to board. Other applicants include: Mitch James, a former health care coordinator; Robert Earl Cherry Jr., an insurance investigator; Mary Nobles Maultsby, an educator; and Myron Saunders, a community skills instructor.
Candidates had until Tuesday to submit applications. Board Chairwoman Amy Cole, who represents District 2, said she was somewhat surprised at the amount of interest in the seat. There is less competition for five other board seats already on the November ballot, where no more than two candidates are seeking the same seat.
“I am looking forward to hearing their responses as to why they want to serve,” Cole said. “I can’t really speculate why there is so much interest, but I am glad that we have choices.”
Resumes submitted by the applicants offered the following details:
Cherry, an East Carolina University graduate and an employee of Hagerty Insurance, is the parent of an A.G. Cox Middle School student and a rising kindergartner at Ridgewood Elementary School. He chairs the ECU Alumni Association Board of Directors and also serves as a board member for Community crossroads Center, Greenville’s homeless shelter.Davis, a graduate of the University of Mount Olive and N.C. Wesleyan University, is a police officer for Pitt Community College and is a former school resource officer. He is a licensed foster parent and has four grandchildren who attend Pitt County Schools.James, a graduate of D.H. Conley High School and PCC, is a former PCS teacher assistant in a special needs classroom. His son currently attends Pitt County Schools. Maultsby is a graduate of Ayden-Grifton High School and Fayetteville State University. She has 45 years of experience as an educator in Pitt, Edgecombe, Halifax and Lenoir counties and is currently a part-time interventionist for Lenoir County Schools.Saunders, a PCC graduate, works with the Autism Society of N.C. He also serves as a WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate instructor for the College Re-entry Program at his alma mater.
The board is scheduled to meet with candidates prior to the 6:30 p.m. board meeting on April 8. A new representative will be sworn in during the April 22 meeting.
Although Everette-Lenz’s term was not due to expire until 2026, the new representative will not serve out the remainder of the term unless elected to the seat in November. This means the candidate selected by the board could serve for only seven months until a replacement is elected to complete the two years remaining in the term.
Attorney Emma Hodson, who serves as in-house counsel for Pitt County Schools, told school board members that the county’s Board of Elections is creating a special filing period and plans to include the seat on the ballot in this year’s election.
Five of Pitt County’s nine school board districts — 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9 — are already included on the November ballot. District 4 representative Don Rhodes is not seeking a second term, and District 8 representative Melinda Fagundus has decided to end her tenure after eight years on the board.
Political newcomer Amanda Klein, the only candidate to file for the District 8 seat, would appear to be Fagundus’ likely successor. District 3 incumbent James Tripp also faces no opposition on the ballot.
Justin Eastwood of Farmville and Desha Lane of Greenville have both filed for the District 4 seat. Erin Kessel of Ayden is challenging incumbent Worth Forbes for the District 6 seat. District 9 representative Benjie Forrest faces opposition from Jennifer Matthews of Greenville.
Cole, who is in her second term, said she is concerned about what the turnover could cost the board in terms of experience. Of the nine total seats on the board, six will appear on the November ballot, and three of those are certain to be filled by new representatives.
“Out of the three of us that are not running, I would be the one with the most experience,” Cole said. District 5 representative Jennifer Hodgson and District 7 representative Kelly Weaver, vice chair, are in their first terms.
“However, we all work together and help out as much as possible, so I can only hope that the new members work well with others and are willing to be open to all opinions. Being open minded and willing to discuss and compromise are a very important part of any working board.”
The District 1 candidate interviews will take in Pitt County Schools third-floor board room at the county office building, 1717 W. Fifth St. The time is to be announced. Both the interview meeting and the 6:30 p.m. meeting that follows are open to the public. Visit pitt.k12.nc.us.
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