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School board president won’t seek renomination
Troy Suchan also confirms he won’t run for office again in 2027
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WASHINGTON — Washington School board President Troy Suchan announced Oct. 9 that he wouldn’t accept nominations to retain his title or become the board’s vice president at the board’s annual officer nomination meeting next month.
Suchan said he wanted to oversee the transition to another board member, since he doesn’t plan to seek re-election when his term as a board member ends in 2027.
“It’s time,” he said. “At the end of this term, which will be three years from now, I will not be seeking re-election, so somebody else might as well start into those positions … and if I don’t hear from anybody by about three days before the next meeting, I’ll probably be calling you.”
It’s not immediately clear who will replace him as the leader of the board of education, where Suchan is known for his candid remarks, casual demeanor, and the deafening noise of the president’s gavel when wielded by his hand, often startling observers and fellow board members.
Suchan has long vowed to bow out of school elections if challenged by a candidate he deems good enough for the position, a situation that evidently did not arise in his 15 years on the decision-making body. He announced ahead of his re-election to the board in 2023 that it would be his last time running for the office where he represents district 3, comprising every neighborhood in southeast Washington.
“I figure, hopefully before that term is up, we’ll be able to find somebody that’s interested in my ward,” Suchan said at the time. “In the past, we’ve had board members come on that … have a one-item agenda to get on the board, and then once that’s worked through, they have almost no interest in being there. I want to make sure it’s somebody that has the kids’ interests in mind first.”
The gavel was passed to Suchan by then-board president Eric Turner in 2022, who himself sought to retire from the group after serving as its leader for a whopping 15 years.
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
