Eleven candidates plan to run for county commission seat

The contest for Cape Girardeau County District 1 commissioner that will begin in earnest Tuesday with candidate filing expanded to 11 candidates as two more Republicans said they would join the fray.

Jackson Alderman Joe Bob Baker said Tuesday that he will file as a Republican for the office held now by Commissioner Larry Bock. Baker, 55, said he would call on his experience as a city official and a small-business owner to guide his work as a commissioner.

And Ken Evans, a former manager at Procter & Gamble and a member of the County Road and Bridge Advisory Committee, said he, too, will join the field as a Republican. Evans said he would be ready to make a full statement about his candidacy later this week.

Bock said in October that he would not seek another term in the post he has held since 1992. The District 1 commissioner represents most of Cape Girardeau County outside the city limits of Cape Girardeau and has primary responsibility for overseeing operations at the County Highway Department.

Baker, a member of the Jackson Board of Aldermen since 2000, is running unopposed for a fifth term as a Ward 4 representative on the eight-member council. If elected to county office, he would be required to step aside from the city post.

"I have thought about this for the last three or four years," said Baker, owner of B&B Salvage in Jackson. "I believe I've got some good experience on the council for the last eight years, and being a small-business owner I know what small businesses go through with government regulation."

With the county putting a heavy emphasis on road construction after passage of a half-cent sales tax in 2006, Baker said he would like to explore how to use the money to speed up the program. While not committing himself to any specific plan, he said the county should explore ways to issue bonds backed by the tax to make a major push. He cited rising construction costs as a catalyst for the proposal.

The advisory board and commissioners have raised the potential of issuing bonds but no firm steps have been taken.

The current commission has been considering, but taken no action, on proposals to enact a storm-water control ordinance, to enact a food safety ordinance and to put cameras in the commission chamber for webcasting sessions.

The storm-water ordinance needs consideration to control runoff through Jackson, Baker said, and he has no objection to cameras. He said he doesn't know enough about the food safety ordinance to have an opinion.

Other Republican candidates for Bock's job, along with Baker and Evans, are: Rick Aufdenberg, a Tilsit farmer; Stephen Daume, a Daisy cattle breeder; Bill Hahs, owner of Semo Ag & Dairy; Weldon Macke, former county auditor; Paul Koeper, vice president of Penzel Construction Co.; Rick Schultz, a Jackson businessman; Thomas Allen, former superintendent of the Delta School District; and Jeff Hahs, an Oak Ridge contractor.

Pat Wissman, owner-operator of Wissman Transportation, is the sole Democrat who has announced plans to file for the post.

Other county offices on the ballot this year include District 2 commissioner, county treasurer, county coroner, public administrator, assessor and sheriff.

Incumbent District 2 Commissioner Jay Purcell, a Republican, said he is planning to seek re-election, as have Treasurer Roger Hudson, a Republican; Sheriff John Jordan, a Republican; Coroner John Clifton, a Republican; Assessor Jerry Reynolds, a Democrat; and Public Administrator Phyllis Schwab, a Republican.

Filing for county offices begins Tuesday at the county clerk's office in Jackson.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126