When we moved to Hennessey in 1978, we were told that the only way you could get elected to the school board was to be a Baptist.

“That’s the gospel truth,” said someone who acted like he knew which way was up.

So when a Catholic was in the running for school board a few years later it seemed to be in the stars that he wouldn’t get the job.

That’s why on election night I set the headline with the other guy’s name and pasted it at t name and pasted it at the top of page one before the results were in.

I almost argued with election board secretary Janie Hightower about her numbers when the Catholic won, but over the years I learned that Janie was never wrong.

When I approached the political guru about his religion theory he said there was an addendum: “If they aren’t a Baptist then they have to be a farmer, and it helps if they’re a Czech.”

The Catholic winner was a farmer.

Lesson learned, and there have been many exceptions after more than 40 years of reporting on school and town board meetings and elections.

One year there were three guys running for a spot on the town board. Two were local, and the other guy was a newcomer, and no one seemed to know who he was. Surprise! The new guy won, by more than 70%. That was because everyone knew the other two candidates all too well.

One year a town board member was elected by one vote.

That guy went by town hall and looked at the numbers that showed he’d lost by one vote. Then when I called Janie to get the unofficial official count he’d won by one vote. It was two absentee votes by his Uncle Bob and Aunt Betty before they went on vacation.

Surely religion isn’t playing a role in our local election.

We’ve had lots of Methodist and Catholics on the town board, and even a Baptist or two. There are four Baptists on the current school board and a lone Catholic.

We’ve had some 3-2-and 4-1 votes on issues, and I appreciate that.

The Baptist and Methodist in my DNA, and influence from Catholic friends, believes you should always vote your conscience. Not that I’m an expert or anything, but I have been covering public boards FOR-E-V-E-R. That’s what a guy in the audience at the last school board suggested when he said, “So I guess you’re going for the title as the world’s oldest reporter.”

In spite of my age I haven’t started drooling yet, at least not in public.