The election of incumbent J. Michael McGrath to the Newhall School District board won’t change the fact that he will not be taking the seat.

McGrath had announced that he was withdrawing his name for consideration on September 15, however by then it was too late to remove his name from the ballot.

After the election results were tabulated, McGrath was the top recipient with 2,222 votes. Rounding out the other two open seats were Christy Smith with 2,185 votes and Phil Ellis with 2,057.

In this particular case, the existing board has the choice of filling McGrath’s vacancy by special election or appointment. The Board decided to appoint a new board member to hold McGrath’s seat until November 2011.

The decision provides a rare chance for residents of the school district area to apply and interview for the position on the board.

“This is a unique opportunity for someone who would like to serve as a Board member in the Newhall School District,” said Mike McGrath, current board president. “I am certain we will have a good field of qualified candidates to pick from and I encourage anyone who is interested to submit an application.”

The appointment process starts with applications from any interested district resident who is a registered voter. A board member may not be an employee of the district at the time of the appointment. Application directions are available from the Newhall School District and can be found on their website at www.newhallschooldistrict.net. Applications are due to the district by noon on November 20th. Interviews of potential candidates will take place on December 1st and the newly appointed Board member will be sworn in and seated at the December 8th meeting of the Newhall Governing Board.

For the complete election results from Tuesday, click here.