Jim Kelly to Seek Appointment to School Board

By Amber Lester Kennedy Saturday, December 17, 2011

Ruth Larson hasn’t officially been sworn in as the Berkeley District representative on the Williamsburg-James City County School Board yet, but at least one person plans to apply for her Jamestown District seat.

Jim Kelly, who will complete his term as the Berkeley District rep on Dec. 31, plans to apply for Larson’s soon-to-be-vacant seat when the board begins accepting applications in January. Although neither Larson nor Kelly moved, both live in districts that were redrawn in the spring to reflect the 2010 census.

Larson, who represents the Jamestown District, ran for and won the Berkeley District seat in November. Her term as Jamestown rep doesn’t end until Dec. 31, 2013, which meant that if she had lost the November election, she could have opted to finish her term. She announced her intent to resign that position, however, at the Dec. 6 work session.

The redistricting moved both Kelly and fellow board member Joe Fuentes into the new Jamestown District; Fuentes currently represents the Powhatan District. Fuentes’ term does not end until Dec. 31, 2013.

When Larson is sworn into her new seat in January, the board will have 45 days to make an appointment to fill her seat. In 2009, the board went through the same process to replace Mary Ann Maimone, which resulted in Kelly’s appointment to the board.

He served until Election Day, then after being elected, he served the remaining year in Maimone’s term. The appointee to the Jamestown seat will go through the same process; once Larson’s original term expires in 2013, that member could run again for his or her own term.

Kelly said Wednesday that he will seek appointment in January, but plans to run for office in the Special Election in November, no matter the outcome of the appointment process.