By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board race was decided by only three votes during the Ellis County election canvass on Tuesday.
Jayme Goetz, Fort Hays State University instructor, won the fourth spot on the school board, beating out incumbent Craig Pallister, retired Hays Middle School principal.
No other positions in the Nov. 7 local election were changed when provisional ballots were counted on Tuesday.
Goetz said by phone after the canvass, "I am really looking forward to working with the school board to make this district the best it can be."
Pallister said he was a little disappointed.
"It's a positive change," he said, "because Jayme Goetz is an excellent candidate and she will be an excellent board member for USD 489 as a former teacher and now teaching out at Fort Hays State University. She knows education.
"It has been an honor the last four years to work with Lori Hertel and Tammy Wellbrock. We had the same feelings, and we were able to accomplish positive things with the facilities and the bond issue. I wish everybody well."
Counting all advance, Election Day and mailed ballots received by the deadline, Goetz was two votes ahead of Pallister. One more vote was added after the provisional ballots were counted.
The provisional ballots that were counted were from voters who moved within the county, had a name change, forgot voter ID or for whom there was a poll pad error.
Thirty-eight provisional ballots were accepted. Six ballots were rejected because the voters were not registered in Ellis County.
No candidates were on the ballot for the Suburban and Munjor improvement districts. Sid Steinert, Tony Rohr and Darrell Younker were elected through write-in for the Munjor district.
Andy Urban, Terry Bottorf and Steve Pfeifer were elected for the Suburban district through write-in.
Joe LeRoux will be joined on the Victoria City Council by write-in candidate Andy Wellbrock.
Candidates Kyle Zimmerman and Frederick Follmer will be joined on the Schoenchen City Council by write-in candidates Laverne Dreiling, Rex Hertel and Thomas Cole Dinges.
Write-in candidates will be contacted by election official Bobbi Dreiling and can refuse to serve.
Dreiling said the Ellis County Clerk's office hand-audited two precincts, which is required by law, and the numbers matched the Election Day count exactly.
The canvass board unanimously certified the election Tuesday afternoon.