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TOP JOBS

By LAUREN GROVER
Staff Writer

A runoff election will be necessary to determine whether Melinda Coker or Rohn Boone will win the TJC seat up for grabs.

In a three-way race for the Place 9 seat, Mrs. Coker led with 2,628 votes (41.2 percent) to Rohn Boone's 2,541 votes (39.8 percent). Steven Sherwood trailed with 1,209 votes (18.9 percent).

A candidate must win at least 50 percent of the vote to win the Place 9 seat. The runoff election will take place no later than May 31.

Mrs. Coker could be the third woman on the nine-person board. The Place 9 position opened earlier this year when David Couch decided not to run for re-election.

Incumbents Ann Brookshire and David Hudson went unopposed Saturday with 4,871 and 4,769 votes, respectively.

Mrs. Coker said her eight years of experience as a leader in TJC's career planning office gives her perspective on the college's eclectic student body, talented faculty and hard-working staff, one that should be voiced on the board.

"My strength is knowing what the students need and what the TJC community is about," she said in April at a meeting with the Tyler Paper's editorial board.

"You can have so many numbers people. I had my own business, I know how to read a financial statement, but we have plenty of experts on the board who can do that. I stand out more for the students, the faculty and staff."

A Tyler native, Boone has served on more than a dozen local boards, most notably his 19-month term as the Chamber of Commerce chairman in 1997-98 when the Chamber of Commerce building was constructed.

Boone says he can offer a wealth of finance, construction and campus planning advice to the board through his 25 years of entrepreneurial construction work.

Mrs. Coker witnessed a low point at TJC when several talented faculty members and staff quit, including her, when low pay was coupled with a lack of appreciation and support from administrators.

She said she sees a change under new president Dr. Mike Metke, an exciting transition she'd like to be a part of.

"Those faculty members work long, hard hours, and really look out for students," she said. "That's what I think we need to make sure we keep. That's what makes TJC so special."

Boone said TJC is a central part of Tyler's burgeoning community and that it can do a better job getting the smart residents of Smith County on board with its proposals.

"Part of leadership and having a strong board is being able to communicate with Tyler," he said.