Cindy Neighbor says she plans to seek reelection to a sixth term in her at-large seat on the Shawnee Mission School Board in this fall’s elections.
“At this time, I do intend to run for my current office,” Neighbor said. “At a time when the formula is changing and we are building new facilities, I believe it is good to have a little history on the board.”
Neighbor’s first election to the board came in 1997, when she narrowly defeated Stan Ricketts for her at-large seat. Neighbor was unopposed when she sought her reelection in 2001, but has faced a challenger in every school board election since. She was elected to her current term on the school board in 2013 by defeating challenger Mark Read 60-40. She beat Cynthia Jarrold 58-42 in the 2009 election and Marc Lassalle 74-26 in 2005.
Neighbor also serves as a state representative in Kansas House District 18, having defeated Republican Eric Jenkins in November’s election. That victory returned Neighbor to the statehouse for the first time since 2010, when she lost to Republican John Rubin. Neighbor first came to the legislature as a Republican in 2003 before switching her party affiliation to Democrat for the election ahead of the 2007 session.
The other two school board incumbents whose seats will be up for election this November, Shawnee Mission West area representative Craig Denny, PhD, and Shawnee Mission East area representative Donna Bysfield, both say they have not decided whether they will seek reelection or not.
The filing deadline for candidates is June 1.
