Recently, we applauded the men and women who serve on public boards. We neglected to mention that finding people who are willing to run for these positions is an ongoing concern.
Unless a governing body does something – or fails to do something – that a lot of people don’t like, it isn’t unusual for the same person to get elected over and over. In many cases, that person doesn’t even have to campaign because no one else wants the job.
Currently, there is a vacancy on the Barton Community College Board of Trustees, and college administrators are hoping more people will show an interest in filling it.
Perhaps if the decision of whether or not to close Barton’s indoor swimming pool was still up in the air, there would be more applications and greater interest. At last report, only two people had even asked how to apply.
This vacancy arose after the April election, with the untimely death of trustee-elect Bob Mead. The board will appoint someone to fill the remainder of the unexpired term, which ends June 30, 2019.
The person who is appointed won’t have to run for office, but there is an application to turn in. There’s also a deadline – 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 30.
Anyone interested in filling this unexpired term should contact the BCC President’s Office by calling 620-792-9302. Those who call will receive information about the college, the role of a trustee and the application process.
It may be that the college already has one or more qualified applicants to chose from. Great Bend’s Brock McPherson received more than 1,100 votes last April but wasn’t elected because Mead received more. Although he disagreed with the method employed to fill the vacancy, he certainly might want to be one of the applicants – if he isn’t already.
Anyone else reading this might also consider seeking the appointment, or running for some other office in the future. To those who are qualified and willing to do the work, that door is always open. However, anyone seeking this particular opportunity to serve has a deadline to meet. A chance to serve awaits -- but not for long.
