School board elections are today
Throughout the area, voters are asked to choose
School board elections are taking place throughout the state today.
These elections will determine some of the key decision-makers for area schools in the coming years.
Here is a breakdown of of the elections in The Messenger region. Voting precincts are listed for Webster County.
Fort Dodge Community School District
In the Fort Dodge Community School District, Dan Hansen is running for the seat that will be vacated by Brian Forsythe. Hansen is a a retired high school teacher. It would be his first time serving on the board. Forsythe served on the board for 11 years.
Stuart Cochrane and Lisa Shimkat are both running again. Cochrane has been on the board for 20 years. Shimkat has been on the board for four years.
There are three seats up for election.
Vote for three:
Stuart Cochrane
Lisa Shimkat
Dan Hansen
Iowa Central Community College
Merged Area V: Terri Wessels
District 6: Bennett O’Connor
District 7: Mark Crimmins
Manson Northwest Webster Community School District
At Manson Northwest Webster, school board member Steve Markert is being challenged by Denise Weiss in District 1.
Markert has been on the board for four years.
Weiss previously served on Manson’s school board from June 2004 to September 2005, stepping in after someone moved away.
Also in the MNW board race, at-large board member Jill Nelson and District 2 member Patrick Fitzgerald are running unopposed.
District 1, vote for one:
Steve Markert
Denise Weiss
Prairie Valley Community School District
At large, vote for one:
Jim Carlson
District 1, vote for one:
Heidi Leigh McGuire
District 3, vote for no more than two:
Joe Harrison
Shannon R. Miller
Southeast Webster Grand Community School District
District 1, vote for one:
Chad Lambert
District 2, vote for one:
Katie Vansickle
District 3, vote for no more than two:
Paige Smith
Allison Swanson
South Central Calhoun School District
Voters in Calhoun County will be electing five members of the South Central Calhoun Board of Education.
Two board members resigned earlier in the year. The board appointed two interim school board members to serve until the next election.
Those board members, Kari Musselman and Darci Lightner, are running for four-year terms in District 1 and District 2, respectively.
Both appointed board members are unopposed.
Jason Hawkins is running to complete the unfinished term in District 1.
Board member Judy Hungate is running to complete the unfinished term in District 2.
There is also an open at large seat which will be filled by either Chris Green or Nick Spencer.
District 1, vote for one:
Kari Musselman
District 1 to fill a vacancy, vote for one:
Jason Hawkins
District 2, vote for one:
Darci Lightner
District 2 to fill a vacancy, vote for one:
Judy Hungate
At large, vote for one:
Chris Green
Nick Spencer
Humboldt Community School District
In the Humboldt Community School District, three candidates are challenging three incumbents for the three available seats. Board members Janell Smith, Randy Hildreth and Suzanne Newton will face off against Michael Heier, Robert Myott and Joe Jacobson.
District 1, vote for one:
Michael Heier
Janell Smith
District 3, vote for one:
Randy Hildreth
Robert Myott
At large, vote for one:
Joe Jacobson
Suzanne Newton
Gilmore City/Bradgate
At large, vote for three:
Marsha Habben
Beau Jergens
Belmond-Klemme Community School District
At large, vote for two:
Gary L. Berkland
Laura LaRue
Marc Schlichting
James R. Swenson
District 4:
Robert Arnold
Rick McDaniel
Clarion-Goldfield Community School District
District 2, vote for two:
Beth Jackson
Elizabeth Severson
District 3:
Megan Ring
Eagle Grove Community School District
At large, vote for two:
Erin Halverson
Jon Rowen
Pocahontas Area Community School District
At large, vote for three:
Richard Garner
Chris Janssen
Nick Lenz
Terri Wessels
East Sac County Community School District
Vote for two:
Jay Stoltenberg
Brent Wilhelm
Voting precincts for school elections
in Webster County
Precinct 1 — Feelhaver School No. 1 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 2 — First Presbyterian Church No. 2 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 3 — Lion’s Den (Izaak Walton) No. 3 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 4 — First Covenant Church No. 4 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 5 — Tompkins Celebration Center, No. 5 City of Fort Dodge, Elkhorn, FD Douglas, FD
Precinct 6 — Elderbridge Agency, No. 6 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 7 — Central Administration Building, No. 7 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 8 — Butler School, No. 8 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 9 — Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, No. 9 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 10 — Fort Dodge Senior High, No. 10 City of Fort Dodge and Cooper Township except Northwest Cooper
Precinct 11 — Cooper School, #11 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 12 — Trinity United Methodist Church #12 City of Fort Dodge
Precinct 13 — Badger Fire Station, Badger-Northwest Cooper FD, Newark FD, Colfax FD, and Deer Creek FD
Precinct 14 — Otho Community Center, Otho FD, Pleasant Valley FD, Washington FD
Barnum Fire Station, Manson Northwest Webster (Webster County) Precinct 1
Manson Fire Station, Manson Northwest Webster (Calhoun County) Precinct 2
Prairie Valley Middle School in Farnhamville, Prairie Valley Director District 1
Callender Community Center, Prairie Valley Director District 2
Gowrie Community Center, Prairie Valley Director District 3
Burnside School, Southeast Webster Grand Director District 1
Dayton Community Center, Southeast Webster Grand Director District 2
Trinity Lutheran Church in Boxholm, Southeast Webster Grand Director District 3
Election hours
• Precincts 1-14 (through Otho) are all Fort Dodge precincts. They will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
• Manson, Prairie Valley, and Southeast Webster school precincts will all open at noon and close
at 8 p.m.