SELMA — Henry Hicks Sr. is the first elected school board president for the Selma City Schools.

Hicks receive 1,770 votes, 53.72 percent, while Anne Fitts received 1,525 votes, 46.28 percent. A total of 3,374 people turned out to the polls Tuesday for this run-off election.

The Selma City Council will meet Thursday to certify the election.

Hicks will be sworn in on Jan. 21 at the first school board meeting of the year, said Selma Schools Superintendent Dr. Austin Obasohan.

All elected persons will then officially begin terms. Board members and the president will attend a training session with the Alabama School Board Association on Jan 15 and 16.

Fitts believes the one thing that hurt her campaign the most was her skin color. She heard people saying that a white person shouldn’t have the position in control of a predominately African-American school system, and she feels the community has a right to hold this concern. “I’m white in a 70 percent African-American community,” Fitts said. “And I think that carried the day.”

This is the first campaign Fitts has run. “I had some wonderful supporters and a good campaign,” Fitts said. “I did the best I could.”

Fitts wants supporters of the election to remain involved. “I hope that everyone who cared so much about the election will continue to care so much about the children and school system,” Fitts said.

Four members from four districts will replace the board of 11 members with a president at large. Voters chose in special election in April to have an election for this position, as opposed to appointments of previous years.

Hicks was unavailable for comments.