One incumbent and two newcomers will vie in November for two seats on the Perry School Board.
Thursday was the deadline for candidates to file nomination papers with the school district secretary. Papers were filed by Kyle Baxter, Eddie Diaz and Travis Landgrebe.
Baxter is a 2002 graduate of Perry High School. He owns and operates AccuJet Iowa, a municipal sewer maintenance and repair company. Baxter is currently the school board president and is seeking a third term on the five-member board.
Diaz graduated from Perry High School in 1997 and served in a U.S. Marine Corps from 1998 to 2005. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Iowa State University and a graduate degree in education from Drake University. He is currently the director of the DMACC Perry VanKirk Career Academy.
Langrebe, a 1998 graduate of Oskaloosa High School, manages the Perry Fareway store. He has been with Fareway since 1996 and has worked in Perry since 2011. Landgrebe is an active member of the Perry Chamber of Commerce and the Perry Elks Lodge.
Two-term Perry School Board Director Casey Baldwin will not seek reelection. He was appointed to the Perry School Board in May 2017 in order to finish the term left vacant after the death of his mother, longtime Perry teacher and school board member Marjean Gries. Baldwin was elected to a full term in 2017.
Third-term Directors Kenia Alarcon and Jim Lutmer were first elected in 2011. Second-term Director Linda Andorf was first elected in 2015.
Candidates have until Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. to withdraw from the race or to file written objections challenging to the nomination papers or eligibility of another candidate. Written objections must be filed with the school district secretary.
School board seats are nonpartisan offices held at-large, so the two candidates with the most votes will be declared the winners. Write-in campaigns are also potential factors in the contest.
