Soltwedel Decides Against Another Run for Unit 40 School Board; Other County School Board Filings

Longtime member Delbert Soltwedel has decided against another run for the Effingham Unit 40 Board of Education.

Soltwedel's name was not among those who filed for the Board when the filing period ended at 5pm Monday. When contacted by phone Tuesday morning, Soltwedel said he decided not to run because he feels he's been on the Board long enough, and that it's a good thing for new ideas to be heard.

The other three incumbents...Carol Ruffner, Jeff Michael and Todd Schaefer...filed for re-election. Also filing for one of four seats on the Unit 40 board were Jane Willenborg, Patty Russell, Matthew Jones, Kathleen Smith and Peggy Campbell.

A reminder that no more than three people can serve on a school board from a given township. That means Schaefer, Russell and Campbell are running for one seat, since incumbents Laurie King and Steve Bone live in Douglas Township and are in mid-term.

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As for the other school districts in Effingham County, there are four candidates for four seats on the Altamont Unit 10 Board; Shelly Kuhns, Dennis Vaughn, Gary Goldstein and Randy Tillman. 

Only one person filed for one of four seats on the Beecher City Unit 20 Board; Nancy Wolf. If write-in candidates don't emerge, the Board could be faced with appointing three members after next April's election.

There are four candidates for four seats on the Dieterich Unit 30 Board; Douglas Baxter, Cory Niebrugge, Thad Goebel and Dan Shadle.

In Teutopolis Unit 50, there are only three candidates for four seats; James Buhnerkempe, Brad Koester and Chandler Hewing, meaning without a write-in candidate, the Board will have to appoint a member following the April election. The Board, meanwhile, will hold a special election on December 29 to name a member to succeed Martin Siemer, who resigned from the Board after being elected Circuit Judge in November.