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Public forum set for STC election

Microphone over the blurred business people forum Meeting Conference Training Learning Coaching Concept, Blurred background.

Voters in the South Tama County School District will have an opportunity to hear directly from candidates vying for election to the South Tama County Board of Education.

The Toledo-Tama Kiwanis Club will be hosting a Meet the Candidates Open Forum on Thursday, October 21 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

The event will take place at the Reinig Center (1007 S Prospect Dr, Toledo).

There are two seats open for election this year on the South Tama County school board. Elizabeth Dolezal, Tessa Matherly, and Nikki Kemper Pansegrau, all from Toledo, will be on the ballot for the District One seat. Current District One Director Ronald Houghton originally did not file for reelection but has since decided to run a write-in campaign and will also be speaking at the forum.

The District Four seat currently held by Alan Kline has one candidate on the ballot, Beth Wiese of rural Montour. Kline does not intend to run for reelection, however another write-in campaign could provide a contest for Wiese.

Luther Heller of Montour has begun a write-in campaign and will appear at the forum later this month.

All six candidates will be given an opportunity to answer questions and clarify their position on a number of issues. Moderators for the event will be Larry Fletcher of Toledo and Karen Mixdorf of Tama.

“The decisions made by our local school board are critical to the South Tama community,” Kiwanis spokesperson Larry Fletcher said. “This upcoming election features many new voices. We want to give voters access to the people who want to lead STC through today’s challenges and prepare our students for the future.”

The event is free and open to the public. Masks and social distancing are recommended. The doors will open at 6:30 P.M.

Voting details

Polls will be open for the city/school election on November 2, 2021, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Those wishing to vote absentee in November must turn in a request form to the Tama County Auditor’s office no later than Oct. 18.

New this year is a provision that requires all absentee ballots to be into the Auditor’s office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Postmarks or bar codes printed on ballot envelopes will no longer make a ballot received after Election Day valid except ballots from participants in the Safe at Home program received by the Secretary of State in time to be transmitted to the County Auditor by noon on the Monday following the election and ballots from uniformed and overseas citizens received by noon on the Monday following the election.