Signal Mountain’s drowsy town council election came awakeMonday when – three days before the qualifying deadline – a potential new candidate appeared on the horizon.
Rob Hensley, who was active in last year’s failed attempt to launch an independent school district on Signal, on Monday picked up qualifying papers at the Hamilton County Election Commission. He has until Thursday to turn them in and qualify.
The election commission also was visited by another Signal candidate, Joe Durek, who has now qualified to run after turning in the papers he picked up more than two months ago, on June 4.
That brings to five the total number of people who have qualified to run to date.
In addition to Mr. Durek, they include:
· Current town council member Dan Landrum, who qualified Aug. 7.
· Former Signal Mayor Bill Lusk, who qualified June 6.
· Dun Monroe, who qualified July 30.
· Susannah Murdoch, who qualified Aug. 10.
Mr. Hensley, the potential new candidate, was a member of an ad hoc group formed several years ago to examine the possibility of setting up an independent school system on Signal, separate from Hamilton County Schools. Other members of the committee included Don Close, Bill Kennedy, Bill Leonard, Tom McCullough, Keyes Rigby and Amy Hakim.
Mr. Hensley is not Signal’s only potential – but unqualified – town council candidate. Incumbent Mayor Chris Howley picked up papers on June 22, but election commission records indicate he has not yet qualified.