Breckenridge Texan

Breckenridge and Stephens County citizens have an upcoming opportunity to take an active part in the local government by applying for positions on the three local governing boards that will have elections on May 4. From Jan. 17 through Feb. 16, the Breckenridge City Commission, Breckenridge Independent School District Board of Trustees and the Stephens Memorial Hospital District Board of Directors will accept applications for the various positions that are up for election this year.

Note that these elections are different than the General Election, aka Uniform Election, for county, state and federal offices. The General Election will be held in November, with the Primary Elections for the Democratic and Republican parties scheduled for March 5.

BRECKENRIDGE CITY COMMISSION

The Breckenridge Commission offices that are up for election this year are Mayor, currently held by Bob Sims; Place 1, currently held by Blake Hamilton, and Place 2, currently held by Rob Durham.

The filing process will open on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and will continue through Friday, Feb. 16. Any qualified resident of Breckenridge may file in the City Secretary’s office, 105 N. Rose Ave., for either of the positions. The City of Breckenridge offices are open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Fridays.

Qualifications for all candidates for office in Breckenridge include:

• Be a United States citizen;
• Be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as applicable;
• Have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be: totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote;
• Have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities;
• Have resided continuously in the State for 12 months and in the territory (City of Breckenridge) from which the office is elected for 6 months immediately preceding the date of the filing deadline;
• Be a registered voter in the territory (City of Breckenridge) from which the office is elected as of the date of the filing deadline for a candidate’s place on the ballot.

For more information about the Breckenridge City Commission election, call Jessica Sutter, City Secretary, at 254-559-8287.

BISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES

There are two positions up for election on the Breckenridge Independent School District’s Board of Trustees — Place 1, currently held by Graham Reaugh, and Place 2, currently held by Paul Lippe.

The filing process will open on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and will continue during regular office hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday) through 4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16. The last day to file a declaration of write-in candidacy is Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.

Applications to serve on the BISD Board of Trustees may be filed in person at the BISD central office, 208 N. Miller St. or by mail sent to BISD, Attn: Danielle White, P.O. Box 1738, Breckenridge, TX 76424.

To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, the office of school board member, a person must:

1. Be a United States citizen.
2. Be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as applicable.
3. Have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
4. Have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities. A person is ineligible to serve as a member of the board of a district if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense under Penal Code 43.02(b) (prostitution).
5. Have resided continuously in the state for 12 months and in the territory (Breckenridge Independent School District) from which the office is elected for six months immediately preceding the following date: a. For an independent candidate, the date of the regular filing deadline for a candidate’s application for a place on the ballot. b. For a write-in candidate, the date of the election at which the candidate’s name is written in. c. For an appointee to an office, the date the appointment is made.
6. Be registered to vote in the territory (Breckenridge Independent School District) from which the office is elected on the date described at item 5, above.

For more information about the BISD Board of Trustees election, visit the BISD’s Board of Trustees website page or call the BISD office at 254-522-9600, ext. 6002.

STEPHENS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

There are four at-large positions up for election on the Stephens Memorial Hospital District’s Board of Directors. Those positions are currently held by Kevin Simmons, Wade Toombs, Todd Tidwell and Bruce Curry.

The filing process will open on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and will continue through Friday, Feb. 16.

Applications for a place on the ballot are available at Stephens Memorial Hospital, 200 S. Geneva St. Applications must be turned in to and accepted by Shaun Lehr, administrative assistant.

For more information about the SMH District Board of Directors election, call the hospital at 254-559-2241.

VOTER REGISTRATION, EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY

For the board member elections, each entity will hold an election only if they have contested races for any of the positions up for re-election. In the case that elections need to be held, each governing board will hold Early Voting from April 22-30. Election Day will be Saturday, May 4.

The polling location/locations on Election Day will be determined by which of the three entities need to have elections.

In order to vote in any of the elections, citizens must be registered to vote by Thursday, April 4. In order to vote in a specific election, citizens must be registered in the appropriate district. For example, to vote in the City Commission election, voters must live within the city limits of Breckenridge. To vote in the school board election, voters must live within the Breckenridge Independent School District. To vote in the hospital board election, voters must live within the Stephens Memorial Hospital District.

To vote in the upcoming Primary Election, scheduled for March 4, voters need to be registered by Feb. 5.