14 people have submitted the necessary paperwork to run for three Columbus School Board seats in November, setting up a possible primary election in May. Jim Letizia reports.
Incuments Hanifah Kambon, Ramona Reyes and Mike Wiles are seeking re-election. Among the challengers is 48-year-old Selina Miller, a substitute instructional assistant who has filed what the courts have called frivilous lawsuits against celebrities such as Kobe Bryant and Denzel Washington and government agencies. Ten years ago a federal judge blocked Miller from filing additional lawsuits unless she obtained court approval. Other School Board candidates include but are not limited to Columbus State Community College professor Rita Bova, and attorney Beverly Corner. Seven people have also filed petitions to run for three city council seats, including Democratic incumbents Priscilla Tyson, Eileen Paley, and Troy Miller. The others are Republicans Brian Bainbridge and Greg Lawson; and independents John Lively and Nicholas Schneider. Lively and Schinder say they will run as a team in order to force a primary. The petition signatures must be validated by the Franklin County Board of Elections.In 2011 many of the petition signatures of school board members gary baker and carol perkins were invalidated. but authorities later found a campaign worker forged some of the signatures, and pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts. 30 year old Ronald Smith was sentenced after the election to 60 days suspended jail time and ordered to pay a 500 dollar fine. Smith told investigators no one told him to forge the signatures. Perkins still had enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot, but Baker did not, and ran as a write-in candidate. Both won re-election.