The race for the District 9 seat on the St. Tammany School Board took an unusual turn Friday afternoon, when one of the candidates dropped out of the race.

Rachel Jones, an accountant from Pearl River sent an e-mail to The St. Tammany News Friday afternoon stating that she was withdrawing from the race which is to be held Oct. 17.

Jones did not give any reason for her withdrawal, and she did not return telephone calls.

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A special election was called for District 9 to fill the seat left vacant by Carmen Johnson who resigned earlier this year due to conflicts with her job. The board appointed Mike Gambrell through an application process to the seat. At the time, Gambrell said he would run for the seat in the special Oct. 17 election. However, he later said he would not run due to a conflict of interest with his work. The field was pared down to three candidates, Jones, Randy Caire, a former justice of the peace, and homemaker Robin Mullet.

District 9 runs from the northeast side of Slidell, following old Military Road up to Pearl River. There are two public schools in District 9, Clearwood Junior High and Whispering Forest Elementary. St. Tammany School Board spokesperson Meredith Mendez said even though there are only two schools in the area, many students in District 9 attend public schools in other districts. Though Jones did not give a reason for her withdrawal, it might have something to do with the residency requirement.

The three candidates had their first debate on Wednesday night at the Military Road Alliance meeting, an umbrella group of homeowners associations for about 13 subdivisions in eastern St. Tammany. During the questions and answer portion of the debate, someone asked candidates where they lived.

Jones said she lived on Prices Road which is right off Military Road just before the overpass over Interstate 59. However, on the slate of candidates that is found on the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Web site, Jones had given a Pearl River post office box as her address.

Some seemed puzzeled by the address on Prices Road. In fact, a trip out to the road shows that there are no houses there at all. Prices Road extends about a quarter-mile and ends in a cul-de-sac. The only structures on the road are two abandoned school buses and a derelict dump truck.

According to the Secretary of State Web site, a candidate for any school board seat in the state must reside in the district they want to represent. Mendez said the St. Tammany School Board has the same residency requirement. She said there are waivers but they are good for only one year.