Mercer Island School District to hold special Tuesday meeting

The Mercer Island School District Board of Directors will hold a special meeting to interview all applicants for the seat being vacated by Lisa Eggers on Tuesday, May 3, at 4:30 p.m.

The names of applicants will be drawn randomly from a hat to determine the order of the interviews. The interview process is open to the public; however, the board may elect to go into executive session to discuss the candidates' qualifications.

A majority vote of the board is required, which will be done by roll call.

So far only two candidates have stepped forward. Legislative representative for the PTA, Aleta Finnila, was the first to apply for the position and will more than likely run for the seat, which is up for re-election this fall. Finnila has two children in the district; one at West Mercer Elementary and one at Islander Middle School.

Jennifer McLellan has also applied for the seat. McLellan said she will run for the seat in the fall election.

McLellan has four children in the district. She is co-president of the Mercer Island PTA Council and serves on the "Bridge the Gap" task force. She taught school in Spokane's district 81 and the Lake Washington School District before starting her family.

After the voting round, if there is no majority for a particular candidate, subsequent rounds of discussion and voting occur until a majority candidate is reached or the board is deadlocked.

In the event of a deadlock, the board can recess for discussion or call for a new nomination round, conducted in the same manner. If no candidate is chosen at the meeting, the application process may be reopened.

Once a candidate is chosen, the new board member will be sworn in at the next meeting, scheduled for May 12.

Contact Mercer Island Reporter Reporter Linda Ball at lball@issaquahreporter.com.

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