Milton school board ballot error comes to light

By Wayne Laepple
The Daily Item

November 17, 2009 11:34 pm

— MILTON — An error on the Nov. 3 election ballot may result in one and possibly two vacant seats on the Milton school board.
During Tuesday’s school board meeting, school Superintendent William Clark explained that the Northumberland County Board of Elections failed to include three spots for write-in candidates in the district’s Region 1.
Kenneth Johnson, who was appointed to complete a term on the board when Rosalind Hamilton resigned last summer, received the largest number of write-in votes and was elected to a four-year term on the board. Johnson’s name did not appear on the ballot because he was appointed after the ballots were prepared.
A second four-year term, for which there were no candidates, was open for write-in votes, as was a two-year term, for which there was no provision on the ballot.
Clark said three people received write-in votes for the remaining seats, so the county Board of Elections will contact them and see what they want to do. If the person who received the most votes accepts the four-year term, there will be a coin toss between the two remaining write-ins, each of whom received two votes.
If no one accepts, there will be two vacancies, forcing the board to reorganize with only seven members. Following reorganization, the members will have to interview and then appoint people to fill the vacant seats.