(Photo by Gwen Sour) From left, West Virginia State Delegate Bob Ferhenbacher, Dr. John Coe and Randy Modesitt chat while waiting for election results at the Wood County Courthouse on Tuesday night.

PARKERSBURG — Randy Modesitt has won a seat on the Wood County Board of Education with 11,175 votes in Tuesday’s unofficial results.

He will serve the remaining 20 months of Debbie Hendershot’s term left vacant after she stepped down in February to run for magistrate.

Calls to Modesitt on Tuesday night and Wednesday were not returned.

The board appointed Rick Olcott to fill the vacancy temporarily at that time with the seat being put on the general election ballot this week. Olcott ran to finish out that term and received 8,543 votes, behind Chad Conley with 9,122, and ahead of Ryan Henry with 2,050.

The board will also be meeting today to discuss filling another vacancy left when member Sarah Townsend stepped down due to health concerns this week.

Wood County Clerk Joe Gonzalez said the process for selecting a replacement would be the same as it was when Hendershot stepped down with the exception that a special election would not be needed. The person the board decides to appoint will serve the remainder of Townsend’s term.

Gonzalez said the board has up to 45 days to name a replacement and that person would fill out Townsend’s remaining term.

By law, no more than two members can be seated from the same magisterial district, of which there are three – A, B and C – in Wood County.

Towsend is from District C. Board member Ron Tice is from District A, with Board President Justin Raber and board member Judy Johnson both from District B.

Modesitt is from District A, meaning there will now be two members from District A – Modesitt and Tice – so the board will only be able to appoint a replacement from District C.

The Wood County Board of Education will meet today at 6 p.m. at the board offices located at Plum and 13th streets in Parkersburg. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed online.