Correction: This story was updated at 8:45 a.m. April 3. Klipfel is is a former member of the school district's budget committee, not a current member.
The Philomath School Board will have two new members this summer following the May 20 special district election.
According to filings reported by the Benton County Records and Elections Department, six candidates filed to run for the three positions that will be included on the ballot. One of those seats, Position 4, is currently occupied by Erin Gudge and she will be running unopposed.
Three candidates are trying for Position 3 with Erin McMullen, Troy Muir and Todd Smith all interested in the volunteer position. Meanwhile, Tom Klipfel and Kerin Konkler will square off for the Position 1 seat.
Gudge, a brand design manager, has served on the School Board since 2021. Rick Wells and Joe Dealy opted to not run again. Sandi Hering and Ryan Cheeke both joined the board in 2023 to serve terms that expire in 2027.
For Position 3, a first-time board member will be installed when a swearing-in ceremony takes place in July. McMullen, farmer and business owner, has prior experience with a stretch on the Muddy Creek Charter School Board from 2015-21. Muir, local business owner and construction project manager, is a former high school football coach who previously ran for a board position and lost by less than 100 votes in 2019. Smith, farm manager, has some prior governmental experience with a position on the Oregon Hazelnut Commission.
In the Position 1 race, Klipfel, a retired supply chain professional, is looking to rejoin the Philomath School Board after serving for a decade from 2007-17. He also served on several committees. Konkler, a family nurse practitioner in pediatric surgery, will be trying for her first position in local government.
The Philomath Fire & Rescue board has a candidate for each of its three vacant seats. Joe Brier is running for Position 1, Kenneth Corbin for Position 2 and Matt Kennedy for Position 3.
Brier, a fire lieutenant and paramedic, is a current board member. Corbin, self-employed, is also a current board member and has been a volunteer with Philomath Fire and Rescue for 30 years. Kennedy, senior instructor at Oregon State University, has no prior governmental experience.
David King (Position 3), Mark Scacco (Position 4) and Andrew Burton (Position 5) filed as candidates for vacancies on the Blodgett-Summit Rural Fire Protection District. All three will run unopposed.
In the Hoskins-Kings Valley Rural Fire Protection District, Michael Rhodes (Position 3) and John Madsen (Position 4) filed to run and are unopposed. No candidates filed for the Position 5 seat.
Benton County Records and Elections plans to begin mailing ballots to local voters around April 30. The last day to register to vote is April 29.