Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
After several votes and nearly three hours of deliberation, Lynnette Conrad, 43, a physician's assistant and mother of two, was selected Tuesday night to fill the vacant seat on the Carson City School Board.
"I have a lot to learn, but I'm also excited to participate in education " something that is so important to the community," she said.
The 12 candidates were giving five minutes to introduce themselves and outline their objectives.
From there, trustees narrowed the group down to three finalists through a roll-call vote.
Conrad, J. Farrell Cafferata and Deonne Contine were chosen and answered additional questions.
Conrad replaces Bob Crowell, who resigned his seat after being elected Carson City mayor.
Although for several weeks only one person had applied, there were a dozen candidates by the deadline. Because of the large number, all other items on the school board agenda were tabled to have the necessary time to interview candidates.
Hallie Murphy, 45, endorsed the other candidates in her speech.
"I think we can do anything, I think we have great potential in this community," she said. "You're going to end up with someone great. Everybody's great out there."
President Barbara Howe thanked the applicants and said she will be contacting them to encourage them to stay involved.
"We can't have too many people in the community involved in our schools," she said. "Tell us what you want to do, and we'll make room for you."
- Contact reporter Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.