As many as 25 entities in Grundy county did not have to have ballots printed for the April 4 election because they obtained the exact number of candidates filing as the number of positions to be filled.
In these instances, persons who did file, automatically assume office after the election date. County Clerk / Election Authority Betty Spickard provided a list of those not having an election to choose board members.
Some, however, will have ballot issues to be decided in the April 4th election.
One of them is the Grundy County Nursing Home District which votes on a levy increase.
Taking seats on the board of directors will be Barb Cox and Don Altes.
For aldermen at large in Laredo, it’s Saundra Marrs and Brett Mathews.
Eight area school districts will not be voting on the board members this time:
For Trenton R-9 school board, it’s Brandon Gibler, Doug Franklin, Corey Leeper.
For Grundy R-5 school board, it’s Abe Carver, Tyson Christy, Reggie Grindstaff
For Laredo school board, it’s Jason Meeker, Casey Bowe, and Phillip Fox
For Pleasant View R-6 school board, it’s Jill Reeter and Damien Little.
For Tri-County Jamesport school board, it’s Jeremy Turner, Brandon Hoover, and Brent Dustman.
For Princeton school board, it’s Rick Ellsorth, Larry Pollard, and Karla Meinke
For Meadville school board, it’s Sandra Johnson, Kristi Newlin, Kathy Seckington
For Newtown-Harris school board, it’s Jeanie Faulkner, Joni Oaks, and Jack Wells
Spickard district has candidate Roger Bonnett with two other positions filled by write-ins.
Others not having to vote on board members because the exact number of candidates signed up, as there were positions to fill include:
Grundy county rural fire district with filings by Brandon Gibler and Justin Anderson; Galt fire protection district with Robert Shipley filling the open seat; and for Spickard road district commissioner: Dee Ann Olson was the only one to file.
For Grundy county public water supply district, Rodney George is the only filing for sub-district three. For Linn-Livingston county public water district, filings by Larry Schmidt and Clayton Williams are for the openings in subdistricts 1 and 3.
Ten townships of Grundy County had the exact number of four candidates file as there are four positions to fill. Time doesn’t permit us to list all 40 names of those who will be the trustee, the clerk, and two board members per township. Those ten that did not have to print ballots for candidates include alphabetically: Franklin, Harrison, Jefferson, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, Myers, Taylor, and Trenton townships.
However, four of those townships will be deciding whether to continue the 35 cent levy for another four years. Those are Harrison, Liberty, Lincoln, and Taylor.
A small part of northern Grundy County is within the Princeton R-5 district which will be voting on a “no tax increase” type of bond issue April 4.
Voters in all four wards of Trenton decide the transportation city sales tax issue.
Because of its population, the city of Trenton is not allowed to skip an election for choosing members of the city council. As such, third and fourth wards each has one candidate. Travis Elbert and Jennifer Hottes-Urich are unopposed respectively.
The Second Ward has two candidates – Larry Porter and Shey Marrs — who filed for the same seat.
No names will be on the ballot to elect a first ward councilman. That position is to be filled by write-ins. Preference is given to “declared write-in candidates” – meaning if they declare to the election authority (Clerk Betty Spickard) their willingness to accept the position, only votes for a declared candidate get counted.
Glen Briggs has declared as a write-in for the opening as first ward councilman.
But there’s still time for others to declare their intentions if they contact the county clerk/election authority by this Friday afternoon’s deadline. This could be for any of the four Trenton city council positions; also the towns of Galt, Spickard, and Brimson – although each has candidate names appearing on the April 4th ballot. Those three towns also have issues on the ballot asking voters to forgo annual elections for the next six years if the number of future candidates equals the number of positions to be filled.
With no names on the ballot, the town of Tindall will need to choose a Mayor and four council persons; and the townships of Jackson, Washington, and Wilson need to select four individuals to fill open positions as trustee, clerk, and two board members.
