One week left for LTCC candidates to file for November election

There are three seats up for grabs in the November election for the Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees. Trustees from areas 1, 2 and 5 are up for re-election.

Area 1 is currently represented by Kerry David, who has announced his intention to seek re-election. Area 2 is currently represented by longtime Board member Roberta Mason, who is retiring from her seat after 40 years of service to the college. Area 5 is currently represented by Molly Blann, who announced in June that she is not seeking re-election.

Candidates must be registered voters who live within the boundaries of the area for which they are running.

Area 1 covers land east of Pioneer Trail from Stateline to Meyers, and all of Christmas Valley. Area 2 borders Pioneer Trail on the east, Lake Tahoe Blvd. to the north, Harrison and Freel Peak avenues to the west, and Al Tahoe to the south. Area 5 borders Highway 89/Emerald Bay Road to the east and north, wraps around Emerald Bay and then runs south down through Twin Bridges and up and around the west side of Christmas Valley.

The boundaries may be seen on the college website.

Anyone interested in running for LTCC’s Board of Trustees can visit the local Elections Office in town at 3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd., #108 to pick up a packet with the various forms needed. This office is open Monday through Friday, but closes for lunch between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. each day. Paperwork can also be picked up at the El Dorado County Elections Department at 2850 Fairlane Court in Placerville.

In addition to the required forms, candidates also need to submit a Candidate Statement that is no more than 200 words in length. This statement will be published in a Sample Ballot, which is mailed to every household in the voting areas. There is a Candidate Statement filing fee of $410 to cover the associated printing costs. If candidates want their statement printed in Spanish as well as English, an additional fee of $506 is required. These fees, established by the El Dorado County Registrar of voters, are based on the number of registered voters in the area.

If an incumbent Board candidate fails to file by 5 p.m. on August 8, the deadline to file could be extended by five days, ending on Wednesday, August 13 at 5 p.m. According to Kim Smith at the El Dorado County Office of Elections, new candidates shouldn’t wait to file. “It takes at least an hour to process their candidate statements and forms. So if candidates show up on August 8 at 5 p.m., they may not see their paperwork processed in time.”