School Board To Solicit Appointees For District 1 Seat

The Cherokee County School Board will soon open up the process to accept applications for appointees to the District 1 seat vacated by Kelly Marlow. 

School board attorney Tom Roach said legislation passed at the state level limits how often local entities can call special elections, so the school board has to wait until Nov. 4 to hold a special election in conjunction with the general election.

Roach said he hopes to develop an application process for the board to consider approving during its May 15 meeting. Once that's approved, an appointment could be chosen at the board's June 19 meeting.

During that month-long period, the board will review the applications and choose an appointee to serve until the winner of the special election takes office on Jan. 1, 2015. 

The person who wins the special election would serve out the remainder of Marlow's term, which expires on Dec. 31, 2016. 

In the past 15 years, the school board on two occasions has had to make appointments under similar circumstances. 

Canton resident Kyla Cromer, who ran against Marlow during the July 2012 Republican primary for the newly created District 1 seat, has been rumored as a possible candidate to run in the race.

Cromer on Tuesday said she will wait until the district opens the application process to make a decision on whether she'll toss her name in for consideration. 

Marlow, who was convicted last weekend on two felony counts of making false statements when she accused Cherokee Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo of trying to run her and two friends over last year, last week submitted her resignation via email to State Superintendent Dr. John Barge.

Gov. Nathan Deal, Cherokee school board members, Roach and Petruzielo were all copied on the correspondence.  

Marlow had been suspended from the board upon initial conviction, which is required by state law. The former school board member was sentenced to serve 60 days in the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center and 10 years probation.