The Chambers County Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint LaFayette resident Candace Lyons, 34, to the District 2 seat that was recently left vacant by Chris Busby. Lyons, also a graduate of LaFayette High School, will be sworn into her position on Feb. 20 and is excited about the prospect of serving her community, bringing issues and suggestions from her community to light.

“I really want to be a voice for my community,” Lyons said. “I have always cared deeply about the education in our area and have always wanted us to be able to compete with other schools academic-wise.” 

Lyons is the daughter of the late Clifford Lyons, who previously held the same District 2 seat she will soon take. The prospect of following her father’s footsteps to this level of specificity is an exciting one for her, even as she makes attempts to plot her own path.

“It’s a good feeling [to follow in his footsteps],” Lyons said. “He left some big shoes to fill, I want to make him proud. I want to make my own way, but he certainly left some big shoes to fill.”

Lyons, who works at East Alabama Medical Center – Opelika as a health care device tech for Heritage Environmental, has a young child that will come up through the school system, thus can bring a unique perspective to the board. 

“I have a child who is in pre-K,” Lyons added. “I can bring a parent perspective to the board as well. I’m just excited about having a voice for parents.”

The importance of her personal investment in the school system was echoed by others, as well.

“Candace was the only one that applied who has students in our district,” Chambers County Superintendent Kelli Hodge said at the Wednesday night meeting. “That will help provide perspective that this board has not had. We have to have people who help us think differently and bring in different opinions.”

“She’s a young parent with a kid in school and the district in her heart,” board member Jeffrey Finch said at the Wednesday meeting. “The other board members are grandparents to kids, but there should be someone who is being groomed for this board.”