An engineer and part-time minister is hoping to be a member of the Ironton City Schools Board of Education.

J. Mark Fields, 46, has filed his petition to run for the post in the November election. He is currently the only person to file a petition for the school board.

Incumbent Tim Johnson has picked up a petition but has not filed it. Three seats on the board are up for grabs this year. School board members Johnson, John Wolfe, and Robert Pleasant Jr. have terms that will expire.

Fields is an engineer at Dow Chemical and has been a pastor for around 15 years at area churches. Right now he does not preach.

The 1983 IHS graduate said while he has no “far-right agenda,” morals and Christian principles would serve the school board well.

Fields is the father of two Ironton High School students, a daughter who is a sophomore and a son who is a senior.

“I’ve paid attention to the school system a long time,” Fields said, adding that he does not necessarily have a problem with the way the school district is being run currently. “I feel I’m in a place where I can positively contribute to the future (of the district).”

Fields said the new school buildings that were built within the past few years are positives for the district.

“I don’t have an agenda for change but with all the hard work going in I think my focus will be to continue to maintain positive attitude and look for ways to improve the system as a whole,” Fields said.