The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Board applicants finalized

The Iowa City School Board will soon fill a vacant seat.

The final list of applicants to fill the vacant seat was released on Monday.

Ron Conner, Thomas Simmons, Orville Townsend Sr., Phil Hemingway, Karla Cook, Jason Lewis, Angela Pitkin, John Weihe, and Brian Richman were the final nine of the 10 applicants.

One applicant was filed under the name Herbert C. Hoover.

Hoover, who died in 1964 at the age of 90, was the only U.S. president to hail from Iowa. He served as the nation’s 31st Commander-in-Chief.

“Hoover” said in the application that his involvement with the School District has been having a school named after him.

“[The School District] named a elementary school for me in 1954,” the applicant said. “Hoover, who died in 1964 at the age of 90, was the only U.S. president to hail from Iowa. He had served as the nation’s 31st commander in chief.”

Three of the 10 applicants — Hemingway, Cook, and Lewis — have run in School Board elections.

In a special meeting earlier this month, the board said the ideal applicants to fill the vacancy would be those who are not considering running in September 2015.

Hemmingway said in his application that he is unsure whether he will run in the September 2015 election, and Lewis said the same.  Cook marked that she is not going to run in the 2015 election.

The vacancy came after former board President Sally Hoelscher resigned in June via a late-night email to her fellow board members and Superintendent Steve Murley. She cited personal reasons for her departure.

On July 2, board member Chris Lynch was elected to be the new president with a 3-2 vote by the other board members. Board member Tuyet Dorau was also nominated.

Lynch was elected to the board in September 2013, and his term ends in 2017.

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