A lack of contested races is expected to draw fewer than 10% of registered voters to the ballot box for the April 6 municipal and school board elections. Only two races are contested, those for the New Franklin and Higbee school boards.

Several school boards and county organizations without contested races will not hold formal elections.

Four people will vie for two open seats on the New Franklin Board of Education. They are Kirk Wilmsmeyer, Lisa Maupin, Matt McGruder, and Alan Marshall. Incumbents Darren Harris and John Bailey will not seek re-election. In Higbee, LeeAnn Ritter, William Smith, Chad Crawford, and incumbent Rusty Ratliff are running for two open seats.

School board terms are for three years.

In Fayette, school board incumbents Matt Hudson and John Stroupe were the only candidates to file for two open seats. Because of this, the department will not hold an election.

The Fayette City Council has four candidates for as many open seats. Jeremy Dawson, who formerly served as East Ward Alderman, will run for the Northwest Ward seat. He was forced to resign after he moved out of that ward. Kylie Tillman was appointed to fill the East Ward seat until the next election. She has filed to finish out the remainder of the term, which expires in April of 2022.

Similarly, acting City Marshall David Ford has filed to be elected by the people. He was appointed as Marshall, commonly called the Chief of Police, after the former Marshall, Jeff Oswald, took over as Howard County Sheriff on Dec. 31, 2020. 

Aldermen for Fayette’s Southwest and East wards, Grafton Cook and Stephanie Ford, respectively, have each filed for re-election.

In New Franklin, only two candidates have emerged for three open seats on the city council. Seth Hallowell will run for Ward 1, and Mary Beth Sokolski for Ward 3. No one has filed for Ward 2. Neither of the three incumbents, David Breshears, John James, or Walter Banks field for re-election.

The City of Franklin has three candidates for three open seats. Teddy Townlain will run for Mayor. William Grindstaff and C. Wayne Purvis are running for Ward 1 and Ward 2 seats, respectively.

Only one incumbent has filed for re-election to the Glasgow City Council. North Ward Alderman Susan Freese is one of two candidates for three open council seats. Renna Bean has filed for the Central Ward and Jason Wright filed to seek the office of Mayor. No one filed for the South Ward seat. Incumbent Mayor David Monnig, along with Central Ward and South Ward incumbents Danny McMillan and Aaron Gouge did not file for re-election.

The Glasgow school board will not hold an election. Incumbents Josh DeMint and Mitch Monnig have filed for two open seats.

The City of Armstrong is short one candidate for three open city council seats. Rebecca J. Kurtz is running for one of two East Ward seats. Travis Gregory filed for the West Ward. There is still one seat on the East Ward with no candidate. The term for that seat is one year as the former alderman resigned.

The Harrisburg school district will also not hold an election. Two candidates have filed for two open seats. They are incumbent Josh Stephenson and Bethann Rosson. The other incumbent, Colin McBride, did not file for re-election.

Likewise, the Salisbury school board will also not hold an election. Pam Lockard and Terry Hulett have filed for two open seats. 

Other organizations not holding elections include the Armstrong Special Road District, the Glasgow Fire Protection District, the Howard County Ambulance District, the Consolidated Public Water Supply District No. 1 of Boone County, the Thomas Hill Public Water Supply, and the Howard County and Armstrong Fire Protection Districts.

There still remain openings for various seats throughout the county. No one has filed for two sub-district seats on the Howard County Consolidated Public Water Supply District No. 1 or No. 2.