S.L. 1975-376

1975 SESSION

CHAPTER 376

SENATE BILL 685

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ELECTION AND TERMS OF OFFICE OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF CRAVEN COUNTY, AND TO FIX THE DISTRICTS FOR THE BOARD.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1. Chapter 887 of the 1967 Session Laws is hereby repealed.

Sec. 2. The Board of Education of Craven County shall consist of seven members who shall be nominated and elected, as hereinafter provided, from each of the following districts:

District No. 1, consisting of Township #1, one member;

District No. 2, consisting of Township #2, one member;

District No. 3, consisting of Township #3, one member;

District No. 4, consisting of Township #5 and Township #6, two members;

District No. 5, consisting of Township #7, one member;

District No. 6, consisting of Township #9 and a portion of
Township #8, lying west of Washington Forks, one member.

Each member shall reside in the district he represents.

Sec. 3. Present board members shall continue to hold office until their terms of office expire, except as hereinafter provided: The term of James W. Smith of District 3 shall expire on December 1, 1978. The term of Elmer Prentice Riggs of District 3 shall expire on December 1, 1978. Thereafter, beginning with the county general election of 1978, District 3 shall be represented by one school board member. The term of Roger Bell of District 4 shall expire on December 1, 1978.

Sec. 4. The county executive committee of the political party of the majority of the present board members shall appoint one school board member from Township #5 or Township #6 to represent District 4. The term of the member so appointed shall commence on July 1, 1975, and shall expire on December 1, 1976. Thereafter, the seat so created and so occupied shall be filled by any person duly elected in the county general election of 1976, to serve for a term of four years, to commence on December 1, 1976.

Sec. 5. Beginning with the county primary of 1976, and quadrennially thereafter, there shall be nominated one candidate for each political party from Districts No. 2, 4, and 6, who shall serve for a term of four years. Beginning with the county primary of 1978, there shall be nominated one candidate for each political party from Districts No. 1, 3, 4, and 5, who shall serve for a term of four years.

The candidate of each political party receiving the majority of votes cast by the qualified voters of the district in which he is running shall be declared the nominee of his party and his name shall appear on the ballot for the general election, as provided by law.

Sec. 6. In the biennial county general election there shall be elected by the qualified voters of the entire county members of the Craven County Board of Education to take the place of the members whose terms next expire. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes cast for candidates in his district shall be elected for a term of four years and until his successor is elected and qualified.

Sec. 7. The candidates elected to the Craven County Board of Education shall qualify and take office on the first Monday in December of the year in which elected.

Vacancies occurring in the Board of Education for any reason shall be filled for the unexpired term by action of the County Executive Committee of the political party of the member causing the vacancy.

Sec. 8. The Chairman of the Board of Education of Craven County shall preside at the meetings of said board, and shall be entitled to cast a vote on each issue presented to the board in regular or special session; and, in the event of the absence or sickness of the chairman, the board may appoint one of its members to act as vice-chairman and to exercise all the duties of the chairman.

Sec. 9. The Craven County Board of Election shall hold and conduct the primary and general election for members of the Craven County Board of Education in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

Sec. 10. This act shall become effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 26th day of May, 1975.