MOUNT VERNON — Only two candidates for school board seats outside of Mount Vernon accepted the Knox County 912 Project’s invitation to a candidate forum at the Knox County Career Center Thursday evening.
Warren Edstrom, a candidate for the East Knox Local Board of Education, and Lynn McCann, a member of the Centerburg Local Board of Education seeking re-election attended the event. Mary Garn, in charges of the event for the 912 Project, said she sent invitations to all of the candidates in the districts outside the city but these two and one candidate from Fredericktown who could not attend, were the only respondents. She said they hope to get a better turnout Oct. 27 when city school candidates are invited.
She attributed the lack of response to most of the races only having as many candidates are there are open seats, unlike the Mount Vernon race.
Audience turnout was also light. Twelve people were in the audience when the session began, four more showed up before it was over.
The candidates were given an opportunity to give some information about their background and the situation in their districts, then answered questions from the audience.
McCann, who taught vocational agriculture in Danville and Mount Vernon for 30 years, has been on the Centerburg board for 16 years and is a farmer.
Edstrom, of Millwood, said his background was in sales and engineering and he had been vice president of two start-up companies.
