Town vs. county

It may be confusing, but there is nothing untoward in the upcoming election of an at-large town trustee in Washington on April 5.

Karen Haley, McClain County Election Board secretary, explained that Washington is one of four towns in the county that opt to follow the Town Meeting Act regarding elections.

The other towns are Cole, Wayne and Rosedale.

For those four towns, elections are conducted locally and don’t involve the county election board.

“We have never done the Town of Washington (election),” said Tenna Garrett, assistant secretary of the election board. “We just hold the Washington school board elections.”

The Town Meeting Act covers towns which have ordinances and a population less than 2,000 living inside the town limits.

“We never get involved in these,” Haley said.

Candidates for the Washington at-large trustee are the incumbent, Michael Wright, and challenger Duane Branham.

The winner will serve a 3-year term on the town board of trustees.

According to a legal notice published March 24 in The Purcell Register, candidates for the board must be a resident and registered voter within the town.

Voting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Washington Town Hall.

Not every small town opts to conduct its own elections under the Town Hall Act.

The county election board conducts elections for the towns of Byars, Dibble and Goldsby.

Cities with more than 2,000 population do come under the county election board.

Purcell has a Home Rule Charter, but it is written into that charter that the election board will conduct its elections.

Washington Public School patrons will also vote April 5 for a runoff between Office 2 incumbent school board member Tammie Wells and Clayton E. Colley.

Precinct polling places for that race will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.