Steamboat Pilot & Today

Hayden School Board member Jody Camilletti will return for another four-year term after edging former School Board member George Wixson by 30 votes in Tuesday's election.

The vote count for the Director District A race, the only contested race in the Hayden School District, was 227 votes for Camilletti and 197 for Wixson. The early vote count showed that Wixson had the lead 24-20, but Tuesday votes from precincts 8 and 17 favored Camilletti 17-5, and votes from precincts 11 and 12 favored Camilletti 190-168.

"I'm looking forward to continuing what I've done with the current board members," Camilletti said.

"I know she's a good candidate," Wixson said.

Camilletti said she ran for re-election because she wanted to keep the current School Board together because it is a "very cohesive group," and she wanted to finish many of the projects that she helped start.

Incumbent Troy Wertenberger, who garnered 322 votes in an uncontested Director District D race, said he sought re-election for similar reasons.

Wixson served on the Hayden School Board from 1988 to 1999, and he said he wanted to do it again. In his time on the School Board, Wixson was one of the main proponents of the college credit program that offers college courses -- and credits -- to high school students.

Wixson said he wanted to see more classes implemented that provide college credits because they help students and parents. He said the program helped him put his own children through college by saving him thousands of dollars.

"George was definitely a good candidate," Camilletti said. "The interesting part of the whole thing is he asked me to take over on the School Board when his term was up. It's kind of ironic we're running against each other. I guess we can swap it off for the next few years. I'll go a year. He'll go a year."

-- To reach Nick Foster call 871-4204

or e-mail nfoster@steamboatpilot.com