GREENSBORO, N.C. — We are one step closer to having three candidates locked in for November, all vying for the District 3 Guilford County School Board seat.
Within 30 minutes of the noon deadline Tuesday, Bill Goebel said he handed his signatures in, which means he will be considered for the ballot for the 2024 general election in November.
The Board of Elections has 15 days to officially verify the signatures.
Bill Goebel is running as an independent, David Coates is the democratic candidate, and Michael Logan is running as the Republican candidate.
Logan is currently the District 3 Guilford County Schools Board Member.
Goebel said while the road to get to this point was difficult, he wouldn't go down without a fair fight.
"We're so excited," said Goebel. "We've been working on this since September and the thing I love the most is I met 3,000 voters, and they give me their viewpoint and it's great to hear what they have that's important to them and the kids."
Goebel said having the voters decide on who should be in the District 3 seat makes him feel calm about whatever the outcome will be.
"I think having the voters make the decision takes a lot of the noise out of the system because you cannot manipulate 30,000 people," Goebel said. "They're going to have to like you, or not like you. They are going to trust you or not trust you and hopefully, they'll trust me."
We reached out to Michael Logan and David Coates about their response to Goebel getting the needed signatures.
Coates said in a statement, "I congratulate Bill Goebel on apparently having secured the necessary signatures to be on the ballot this November for the Third District seat on the Guilford County School Board. This was no easy feat. Once the signatures are verified the voters will have a three-way race between myself, David Coates, Bill Goebel and Michael Logan. I am the candidate with the most relevant experience. I was for decades a school board attorney in New Jersey and, as such, was involved in a wide range of issues that confront school boards. That experience taught me many lessons, but the key takeaways were that all children need to have schools that provide physical and emotional safety. They need schools that are staffed with talented teachers who do not need second jobs to maintain a middle-class life. Accountability for student achievement keeps the process of educating children honest and dynamic. Clear communication with parents and the community at large is vital to maintain confidence in our schools. I am and have been for my whole adult life, a progressive Democrat. This does not mean that I will not be careful with the money entrusted to the Board of Education. It does mean that I recognize that District Three is like the rest of America in that our children, our students, come from a wide variety of backgrounds, races, sexual orientations and identities and that all of them matter.
Logan sent in a statement that said, "There are two official candidates in the race at this time. A self-serving attempt to be added to the ballot is evident but not concerning. I am comfortable with the support from the community regardless of political party. My experience on the school board has been one of fairness, cooperation, and diligence with budgetary concerns. Policy concerns are a top priority as is community involvement within our schools."
Battle for the District 3 Seat
If you remember, there is an ongoing battle for the District 3 seat on the Guilford County School Board.
For months, the Guilford County School Board and Guilford County Republican Party argued about who should fill a vacant Guilford County School Board seat.
It came after Republican Pat Tillman left the board after he was elected to the county commission.
The county’s Republican party nominated Michael Logan to fill the seat, but the Democrat-controlled board repeatedly rejected his nomination.
Republican state lawmakers decided they were going to intervene. Guilford County Representative Jon Hardister filed a house bill in the general assembly that would change the way the board filled vacancies.
"The amended law states that if the vacating board member was elected as the nominee of a political party, the county political party executive committee shall provide the name of an individual in writing within 30 days of the occurrence of the vacancy,' according to Guilford County Schools.
In short, the political party of the outgoing member was able to put someone on the board without a vote.
Since Logan wasn't nominated correctly and it was past 30 days, the board said the new law gave them the ability to choose a candidate.
In April 2023, the board selected and voted Goebel into the seat with a 6-2 vote, with the two Republican seatholders voting against him.
After he was sworn in, Goebel was censured by the Guilford County Republican party.
Censure is a formal statement of disapproval in the form of a resolution that is adopted by a majority vote.
In May 2023, the Guilford County Republican party charged Goebel with party disloyalty.
Republicans in the state legislature changed state law to overturn that move, effectively removing Goebel from his seat.
In a special meeting, BOE members voted to allow outside counsel to handle a recent letter from current board member Goebel, claiming the nomination of Michael Logan is unconstitutional.
Then, Bill Goebel resigned back in September 2023, after receiving a call from his lawyer that said the Guilford County School Board would seat Michael Logan in his place.
Now, it's up to voters to decide in November who they want in the District 3 seat for the Guilford County School Board.