The LCSD No. 2 Board of Trustees at their regular meeting on August 14, 2024. (Photo by Dahl Erickson)

• Voting will take place during the General Election Nov. 5

The candidate filing period has closed for those seeking a seat on the Lincoln County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees. The Lincoln County Clerk’s Office reports that a total of eight candidates have filed for four open positions. Seats up for election include Areas #1, #3, #4 and one of the two at-large bids.

Two candidates filed for the open at-large seat include current board member Homer Bennett of Afton and challenger Jake Long of Etna. Area #1 includes filings from Lenn Johnson of Cokeville, who was appointed to the position in April to fill the remainder of Wade Hirschi’s term after Hirschi moved out of the district, along with recently retired teacher Kade W. Wilkes of Afton.

Three candidates filed for Area #3 including current member Jed Johnson of Auburn, Tom McKinney of Thayne and Logan Probst of Thayne. Current Chairman of the Board, Darnell Simpson of Thayne is running unopposed for Area #4 as the only candidate who filed for the seat.

“We’re very appreciative of those that have thrown their name in the hat, so to speak, and are looking at the possibility of serving,” said Superintendent Matt Erickson during a live interview on SVI Radio. “We very much appreciate our current board. And again, appreciate those that are willing to take the courageous step to possibly serve our staff, students and community for the next four years.”

Voting will take place during the upcoming General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. All residents in the district will vote for all open positions on the board, regardless of which district the voter lives in. A complete election guide will be printed in the October 30 edition of the Star Valley Independent ahead of the election.