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Wright pulls out of school board race Melodie Phelps News Editor A candidate for the Wayne County Board of Education has pulled out of the race for the Division One seat. Sheridan Wright, a detective with the Monticello Police Department, told The Wayne County Outlook Monday that he will pull out of the race. Wright’s decision came after he talked with a representative from the State Attorney General’s Office, who advised him that he could legally run for school board and win the race, but he would forfeit his oath as a peace officer if he accepted the oath of office for the school board seat. According to the letter from Wright, he had sought advice from two attorneys right after filing for candidacy, and both agreed he could run for school board after reviewing Kentucky state law. Last week, Wright was advised of KRS 61.080 (1), which states “no person shall, at the same time, be a state officer, a deputy state officer or a member of the General Assembly, and an officer of any county, city, consolidated local government or other municipality, or an employee thereof.” Wright was one of two challengers in the race for the Division One seat, currently held by Dr. David Gover. Gover is seeking re-election and will be challenged on the November ballot by Larry Muse. Following is a letter submitted by Wright to The Outlook Monday. It is printed in its entirety. “To the voters of District One, Kelly, Mill Springs and Steubenville precincts: Due to my interest in public education I decided to run for the Wayne County School Board. A couple of days after filing, I began to get questioned about whether it was legal for me to be a candidate. Not being familiar with school board law, I got the advice from two separate attorneys. Both could not find anything that would prevent me from serving,” Wright wrote in his letter. “On Friday, September 24, I received a call from an individual who provided me with a KRS law which neither myself nor the two attorneys were aware of. After reading KRS 61.080, I contacted the Attorney General’s Office to get an opinion. I was told that I would have an answer next week.” “On Monday, September 27, I was contacted by the Attorney General’s Office. I was told that it was legal for me to run and even win. However, if I took the oath of a board member, it would cause me to forfeit my oath as a peace officer of the Commonwealth.” “In learning this, I feel I have no choice but to pull out of the race. I do not want to jeopardize my position as detective with the Monticello Police Department. I enjoyed campaigning and meeting many of you and I truly wish that I could have continued my campaign. Thank you for the tremendous support.” Add a comment |
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