8 candidates set for Richardson ISD board elections ahead of final day of filing period

Eight candidates have filed for the three Richardson ISD board of trustees seats up for election in May. Feb. 18 is the last day to file for the district's general election.

Those interested in running can obtain an application packet through the district website or at the RISD Administration Building at 400 S. Greenville Ave., Richardson. All potential candidates must turn in their application by 5 p.m. Feb. 18.

Seats scheduled to be on the ballot include single-member Districts 2, 4 and 5, though only two of those races are contested, according to the district website at noon on Feb. 17.

The single-member District 2 position is held by Eron Linn, and the single-member District 4 seat is held by board President Regina Harris. Linn was elected to the board in 2015 and re-elected in 2016 and 2019. Harris is in her first term on the board after being elected in November 2019.

Linn is running for re-election in District 2 alongside three other candidates: Sherry Clemens, Guillermo Colón and Vanessa Pacheco. In District 4, Harris is unopposed in her re-election bid.

The single-member District 5 seat has been vacant since former President Karen Clardy resigned Sept. 24 in a letter to the other trustees and former Superintendent Jeannie Stone. Three candidates have filed to run for the vacant seat: Kile Brown, Rachel McGowan and Jan Stell.

Board members in RISD serve three-year staggered terms and are not subject to term limits. Five of the seven seats on the board are chosen by registered voters of specific districts, while the remaining two seats are elected at large. This is the result of a lawsuit settled in early 2019 that accused the board of Voting Rights Act violations.

Early voting for the May 7 election is scheduled to take place April 25-May 3.