A Seminole City Councilman failed to file for his expiring post this week, but he will end up keeping it anyway.

The candidate filing period for municipal posts and school board seats across Seminole County ended Wednesday at 5 p.m., and Trace Connor, who represents Ward Four on the Seminole City Council, did not file. According to Mayor Cory Crabtree, Connor forgot to file, but since there were no other filers, Crabtree will appoint Connor to the position.

“Trace had someone in the hospital in Oklahoma City, and filing just slipped his mind,” Crabtree said. “Since he has expressed a willingness to keep serving on the council, I’ll appoint him.”

In Wards One and Two, incumbents Larry Church and John Cramer, respectively, will keep their seats, as they were the lone filers. There will be a race for the Ward Three seat between Jeff Nance and George Gates. Nance was appointed by Crabtree in April to fill an unexpired term. The race will be decided Feb. 10, 2026 and only registered voters who reside in Ward Three may vote. A ward map is available on the city’s website (seminole-oklahoma. net). Longtime Seminole Board of Education member Marci Donaho did not file to keep her board seat, and there will be an April 7 election between Steven Choate and Tyler Geohagan for that post.

There will be three additional races in Seminole County in 2026. Ann Hastings, Keith Kincade and Cheryl Legg are all vying for the mayoral position in Wewoka. John Henson and Jessica Shaw-Hinton will face off for a seat on the New Lima School Board, and in the Strother School District, there will be a contest between Stacy Dunn and Ashley Fowler for school board office number one.

Below is a recap of other filings across the county, where no election will be necessary.

Bowlegs Public School Board, Office No. 1: Nancy Young Konawa City Council Ward, Ward 3: Sheila Capps Konawa City Council Ward, Ward 4: Ronnie Branscum Wewoka City Council, Ward One: Tambra Beyer Justice School Board, Office No. One: Marlene Burgess Konawa School Board, Office No. 1: Justin Morrison Konawa School Board, Office No. 3 (unexpired): Jay Snell Sasakwa School Board, Office No. 1: Clarence Prevost Varnum School Board, Office No. 1: Tashina Hinkle Wewoka School Board, Office No. 1: Shawn Jackson- Island As a courtesy, the Seminole Producer will run a one-time campaign announcement at no charge for each candidate. Announcements (which should include a bio and a high-resolution photo) must be received by our offices no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15. Call (405) 382-1100 for more information.

⬤ Councilman