New political signs have been put out this week around Chattooga County that are stirring up some interest in local school board races.  Three Republicans are running to unseat three local Democratic incumbents on the Chattooga Board of Education in the November General Election.

Sam Ballard, Brad Hayes and Julia Houston, all Republicans, will be facing off against Democrats Eddie Massey, Alma Lewis and Larry Weesner.  What makes this race a bit unusual is that both sets of candidates appear to be running as a team.  The Democrats began placing signs earlier this year around the county with all three candidates signs obviously grouped together.  This week a new sign for the Republican candidates popped up that says “Make our school ‘great again’. Vote Republican. Ballard-Hayes-Houston”.   In the past candidates have generally followed the unspoken guideline to “stick to your own race” when it comes to local politics, but that doesn’t appear to be the case this election cycle.

WZQZ News began getting comments about the political signs earlier this year when the Democrats appeared to be running as a team and this week we have received several comments from local residents about the new Republican signs.  The signs are obviously an intention to capitalize on the “MAGA” theme of the national Republican party.  Also, voters are questioning what the GOP signs intend when they say “make our school great again.”  The school board race is for a seat on the Chattooga Board of Education that oversees all of the schools in the county, not one particular school, and some question when Chattooga Schools have been “greater” than they are now.

Another GOP political sign has an image of President Trump and says “For the Five Day School Week Elect Ballard-Hayes-Houston.”  While all of the Democrats on the current board support the four-day school week, this appears to be the first time that the three Republican candidates have all endorsed a return to the five-day week.

In the coming days, WZQZ News will have more on the local school board races.

October 9th is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming General Election.