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Geneva man withdraws from one of three races

A Geneva man who filed to serve on the Geneva school, library and park boards at the same time has withdrawn from one of the races.

In an email to the Daily Herald, Jay Moffat said Thursday he has dropped out of the Geneva school board race, after learning that the state attorney general’s office considers serving on the school and park boards incompatible.

“Since the park (district) had only three candidates file for two commissioner slots, while the school (district) had nine candidates file for four slots, and I believe the electorate deserves the opportunity to elect someone into office, I withdrew from the school race thereby leaving eight great candidates to choose from and still allowing for three candidates as opposed to only two in the park commissioners race,” he wrote.

In an opinion issued in 1991, the attorney general’s office said serving on a park board and a school board at the same time was incompatible because state law specifically allows park districts to contract with school districts for use of facilities and for shared programming. A person is supposed to act in the best interest of the district they serve, and can’t do so while representing both sides, according to the opinion.

The Geneva Park District and the school district jointly operate a preschool, staffed by the park district and located at a school. The park district also offers a before- and after-school care program that meets at the elementary schools.

Moffat is still running for the library board. The attorney general’s office has not issued any opinions on the compatibility of such offices. The library and park districts don’t have any contracts with each other.

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