oner Laura Fields says she wants to withdraw her name from the 2009 election ballot.

But according to the Polk County Board of Elections Office it is too late to take her name off the ballot.

Fields, who was running for her third term in Saluda says because of a health issue, she no longer wants to run this year. She says she hopes to get the word out to voters not to vote for her, even though her name will remain on the ballot, so as not to take away votes from other candidates.

Fields announced her withdrawal during a Saluda City Council meeting Monday night.

Board of elections director Dale Edwards says absentee ballots are already being mailed out and early voting starts this week (see article, pg. 1).

Fields has served the city of Saluda for the past eight years. She says she feels very good about what has been accomplished by city council over her two terms and she feels the city is in better shape now than it was eight years ago. Fields says the past couple boards of commissioners have worked well together and have made good decisions.