Cynthia Hudson has withdrawn from the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) school board race for District 1, which covers the Finn Hill and Juanita neighborhoods.

Hudson rescinded her name after King County’s deadline to withdraw, so her name will still appear in the voter’s pamphlet and on the ballot.

“Over the summer, and after the opportunity to withdraw from being listed on the ballot, I had changes that impacted my ability to dedicate enough time to the position,” she told the Redmond Reporter in an e-mail.

Hudson said she is not concerned about her name still being on the ballot because the incumbent and her former opponent, Jackie Pendergrass, is popular among constituents.

Pendergrass, who is in her 16th year on the LWSD school board and the current president, said she was happy to see she no longer had an opponent and is working to get the information out to voters.

“Since most will get their information in the voters pamphlet, I feel I need to get my message out to as many voters as I can afford to mail to,” she said. “Cynthia will definitely receive some of the votes because many voters will see her as a true candidate.”

Pendergrass added that she feels the King County rules are doing voters a disservice by not allowing candidates to withdraw from the race after more than a week after filing in June.

“And while I understand deadlines are necessary, the November voters pamphlet is not produced until now,” she said. “People…change their minds and I think the public should receive accurate information about who to vote for.”