The Waverly school board race that once did not have enough candidates to fill the ballot for four open seats now has seven candidates.
Four people met the Oct. 26 deadline to run as write-in candidates, Eaton County Clerk Diana Bosworth said. They are:
- Emily Commarato
- Eric Fitton
- Alicia Guevara Warren
- Amy Krause
They join Chris Beasley, Mary Ann Martin and Rhonda Sosnowski, whose names will appear on the ballot.
The top four candidates who receive the most votes will win.
“Someone will win as a write-in candidate,” Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark said. “In reality all four write-in candidates could win.”
Alicia Guevara Warren said she decided to file as a write-in candidate for Waverly when she saw there were only three candidates for four open spots.
“I had planned to run for a school board position in the future, in 2020,” Warren said. “I want to give back to the community.”
Warren grew up in Lansing and graduated from Grand Ledge High School after moving there when she was 12. She graduated from University of Michigan and has been in the Waverly Community Schools since finishing her master’s at the University of Texas at Austin.
She oversees the Kids Count Project for the Michigan League of Public Policy, a Lansing-based advocacy group.
She has a daughter in Waverly schools.
“I see a lot of value in public service, which is why I’ve dedicated my life to it,” Warren said.
Eric Fitton also had debated running for the school board.
“I have debated running earlier and there are some things I’d like to see done,” Fitton said.
Fitton grew up in Lansing and was a Waverly graduate. He is a former teacher of 10 years and now does information technology work. Fitton came back into the area about eight years ago.
Fitton has a daughter in the Waverly school system.
One of the reasons Fitton said he is running is because he wants to see people vote.
“I’d rather the people vote for the candidate than the board appointing someone,” Fitton said.
Emily Commarato lives and works in the Waverly district. She and her husband raised their three kids there. She said she hasn’t liked the direction Waverly is headed.
“I want to make Waverly like it used to be,” Commarato said. “I’d like to see everybody come together and move forward.”
Amy Krause didn’t respond to a message seeking comment for this story.