New Wake school board member won’t take office until he proves his eligibility
A newly appointed Wake County school board member hasn’t taken office yet amid questions about whether he’s eligible to serve in the seat.
On Friday, the Wake County school board voted 7-1 to appoint Craston Artis II to fill the vacant District 4 seat that covers much of Southeast Raleigh. His swearing-in ceremony was canceled Tuesday until Artis submits paperwork showing that he lives in District 4 — a legal requirement for holding that seat.
“There were some questions that were raised on Tuesday morning, so out of an abundance of caution, Mr. Artis and I agreed to postpone everything to do our due diligence,” school board chairwoman Lindsay Mahaffey said in an interview Wednesday.
Voter registration address changed
Until recently, Artis’ voter registration record listed him as living in District 1. Artis updated the voter registration records Tuesday to list an address in District 4 where he says he now resides.
Artis said he signed a lease for his new Southeast Raleigh residence in December. His application for the District 4 seat listed his new address.
“There was a question about where my voter registration was that I had to resolve,” Artis said in an interview.
Artis said he will submit the paperwork and expects to be sworn in at the board’s Feb. 1 meeting. Once sworn in, he’d complete the term held by former board member Keith Sutton that runs through November.
Board eligibility questioned
Artis, an educator and former teacher, won over most of the board members last week with a promise to make equity issues a focus if he was appointed.
But Artis’ educational views and whether he can legally serve in District 4 was questioned Tuesday on social media and at the school board meeting. People pointed out that Artis’ education consulting business still lists his District 1 address on his state business records and that his wife is still registered to vote at the prior address.
Artis said Wednesday that he no longer lives with his wife.
“Provide proof of Mr. Artis’ residency immediately if you plan to proceed to appoint him to District 4 — and residency as in now, not that he plans to move there some time soon,” Becky Lew-Hobbs said during public comments at Tuesday’s board meeting.
This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 12:05 PM.
