By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Pelham City Council will interview its top candidates for the city’s first Board of Education on Oct. 29.

The interview date announcement was included on the agenda for the council’s Oct. 21 meeting. According to the agenda, the interviews will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 in the council chambers at Pelham City Hall.

During an Oct. 18 phone interview, City Council President Rick Hayes said the council is still working to narrow down its list of 21 candidates for the school board into a “short list” of top candidates.

The council will then schedule specific times to interview each top candidate on Oct. 29, Hayes said.

The following is a list of the 21 original applicants and their backgrounds:

-Jeff Allison, youth pastor and small business owner

-Becky Beall, journalist and customer service manager

-Senitra Cook Blackburn, human resources manager

-Amy Bradley, real estate and construction

-Veronica Crenshaw, recent law school graduate

-Cathy Dollar, occupational therapist

-Kip Dollar, financial services and small business owner

-Jane Germek, food services manager

-Angie Hester, project manager and telecommunications

-Paul Howell, financial services and planning

-Brian Long, developer, construction and construction materials

-Chris Pennington, communications and E-911

-Richard Poff, lawyer

-Barbara Regan, retired educator

-Rick Rhoades, retired educator

-Ted Smith, lawyer

-Markus Snowden, technical and operations director

-Wanda Spillers, revenue utilization coordinator and registered nurse

-Jim Sumpter, financial services and planning

-Gregg Vincent, pharmaceutical senior territory manager

-Larry Vines, retired interventionist at Oak Mountain Middle School

The council voted unanimously last month to form a Pelham city school board and eventually separate from the Shelby County School system, but the separation date has not yet been finalized.