A seventh candidate comes forward as deadline approaches

A local hair stylist and homemaker has added her name to the list of candidates to be considered to replace Scott Higginbotham as the District 5 representative on the Grady County Board of Education.
The deadline to submit letters of interest is next Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 4:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Hope Hurst made application to be considered and the list of candidates as of presstime stood at seven.
The other six candidates are the Rev. Dr. Ron McCaskill, John White, Jim Ellis, Terry Prince, Carter Ausley and Joyce Lee Herndon.
Higginbotham vacated his seat on the school board when he qualified as a candidate for mayor of Cairo.
Once the deadline closes next week, Probate Judge Denise Maddox will be asked to verify all of the prospective candidates are legal residents of District 5.
The school board will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday, Oct. 8 to deliberate and select a replacement.
Higginbotham’s replacement will serve out the remainder of his term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2014. The appointed board member would have to qualify and run for election next year if he/she desired a full, four-year term.