By By Andy Hamilton / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Petitions for seats on three of the areas school boards - Niles, Brandywine and Buchanan - were submitted by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, in time to be on the ballot for the May 2 election. Along with incumbents, only one new candidate is running for an open seat.
Joel Rogers of 830 Kensington Drive, Niles, is seeking a position on the board for Niles Community Schools.
A life-long resident of the Niles area, Rogers attended Galien schools and Lake Michigan College, where he earned an associates degree in manufacturing.
Rogers has worked as a machinist at Mac Engineering and Equipment Co. in Benton Township for 26 years.
He has been married to his wife Anita for 15 years and the couple has a 3-year-old daughter named Maeli they adopted from China.
The approaching election for the Niles Community Schools' bond proposal, Rogers added, has increased his interest and involvement with the school system.
Rogers will be running against two imcumbent candidates, Secretary Elaine Miller and Treasurer Scott Tyler. Both positions held by Miller and Tyler are four-year terms and are set to expire on June 30.
There are also two four-year seats open on the Brandywine Community Schools' board. Filing petitions for re-election were only the two incumbents, President James Curran and Trustee Rick Zache.
Two members of the school board are also up for election at this time on the Buchanan Board of Education.
Those two, John Colip, President and Marlene Gauer, vice-president are both seeking re-election.