Eight candidates filed for four seats on the Clover School District Board of Trustees before filing closed at noon Monday, setting up two contested races in November and guaranteeing at least one new face on the board.
The at large seat drew the largest field. Incumbent Matt Burris filed to keep it and will face Christopher DiFilippo, Vicki Gibson and Travis Johnson. None of the three challengers currently serves on the board. Every voter in the district casts a ballot for the at large seat.
Seat 2 is the only other contested race. Board Secretary Keron Meeks filed for reelection and drew a challenge from Wendy Dimitri.
Board Chairman Rob Wallace filed for Seat 5 and drew no opponent.
Seat 1 Changes Hands
Lacey McFalls was the only candidate to file for Seat 1, the seat held by Mike Ballard. Ballard did not file for reelection, so McFalls will take the seat in November without opposition and the board gains at least one new member.
The Clover board has seven members serving terms of four years, staggered so only part of the board turns over in a given cycle. The four seats on this year’s ballot make up a majority. The members not on the ballot are Vice Chair Jessica Cody, Kenda Cook and Tracy Stiff.
How the Election Works
Clover school board races are nonpartisan. No party label appears next to a candidate’s name, there is no primary, and every qualified candidate goes to the Nov. 3 general election. Seats 1, 2 and 5 are geographic. The at large seat covers the entire district.
Filing opened at noon Aug. 3 and closed at noon Monday at the York County Voter Registration and Elections office. Filed candidates and their filing documents are posted in a public candidate tracker maintained by the state.
Under Article VI, Section 1 of the South Carolina Constitution, a candidate must be a registered voter in the area the office represents. A person convicted of a felony or an election law offense cannot file for or hold office until 15 years have passed since the sentence was completed, unless the person has been pardoned.
Clover is one of four York County school districts with seats on the November ballot, alongside Fort Mill, York School District One and Rock Hill School District Three.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
