City council, school board and other candidates will be traipsing the steps of Franklin City Hall beginning today as the local election filing period opens.
A total of 14 seats are opening up in January, half of which are on the city council and school board. Both groups are facing a hefty task as they try to fully fund their school district as state adequacy funding and other sources fall short.
On the council side, Ted Starkweather, Doug Boyd and Steve Barton all run out their terms this year. In an email Tuesday, Boyd wrote that he didn’t plan to run for re-election in Ward 2 after serving for “many, many years” on the council.
“But I enjoyed it, and was positive as possible,” he said, adding that he’ll “keep an eye” on the council.
Barton, who serves in Ward 3, said Tuesday he plans on running for re-election. “I think Franklin is on the verge of doing more wonderful things,” he said “I’d like to be a part of that.”
Starkweather, in Ward 1, didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
On the Franklin School Board, the seats of chair Greg Husband and members Tim Dow, Marisa Carter and Susan Hallett-Cook are up for grabs. Husband wrote in an email Tuesday that he was not planning for an incumbent run.
“I have served the City of Franklin and the residents in numerous ways for over 20 years,” he said. “I am looking forward to spending quality time with my wife, children and extended family members.”
Dow said by phone yesterday that he planned to run again, noting that he wanted to continue the work he’s done over his first three year term.
The Monitor was unable to reach the other members for comment.
This year’s election has come up several times over the summer as councilors and school board members held joint work sessions to work through a challenging budget year. The school district had to send 25 pink slips to teachers and support staff in May due to a funding gap created by less state adequacy aid, fewer tuitioned students and a loss in food services.
At least 12 of those positions were saved thanks to collaborative efforts by the school board and city council. But residents asked their elected officials to do better in the future and fully fund the city’s schools, and some suggested that more parents with children currently in the district need to sit on the city council.
“I thought that was an interesting comment,” Franklin city manager Elizabeth Dragon said Tuesday. She added, however, that an equal focus needs to be on the school board, which sorts out the school district budget before city councilors have a final say on it.
“I’m really hoping we get people who want to put in the effort,” Dragon said. “The effort…to look at the school funding formula.”
In addition to continued efforts between the city council and school board to reassess local education spending, Franklin City Mayor Ken Merrifield has said the city is thinking about suing the state’s Department of Education for inadequate funding.
“It’s going to take representation, strong representation across the state to figure out the school funding formula,” Dragon said.
The filing period runs through Aug. 26, and any interested candidates can call or visit the city clerk’s office. A $3 fee is charged per candidate. The election itself will be held Tuesday, Oct. 4.