Raleigh, N.C. — Eight people have put their name in the running for the Wake County school board seat left vacant by former member Chris Malone.

Tom Benton, a retired school principal from Zebulon, and Wendy Ford, a Wake schools volunteer and former school board member in Upstate New York, are among those who applied to carry out the remainder of Malone's term, which expires this year.

The names of six others weren't immediately available because the applications were filed shortly before the 5 p.m. Friday deadline.

Malone, a Republican, represented District 1 in northeast Wake County from 2009 until December, when he resigned after being elected to the state House of Representatives.

He was one of four people elected to the nine-member school board in 2009, creating a Republican majority that implemented controversial changes to how the district operates, including the long-standing way the school system assigns students to schools.

The politically divided school board, which is now controlled by a Democratic majority, meets Tuesday, when it is expected to discuss a timeline for interviews.

Members hope to appoint Malone's replacement by the end of the month and have that person sworn into office in early February.

According to election records, Benton is a registered Democrat, and Ford, of Wake Forest, is a registered Republican.