2 NEW COUNCILMEN ELECTED

There will be two new faces on the Cape Girardeau City Council after Ward 1 incumbent James "J.J." Williamson Jr. lost his bid for re-election Tuesday by a seven-vote margin.

In Ward 3, Jay Purcell defeated Gerald Stevens for a two-year unexpired seat on the City Council, 371-210.

In Ward 1, Frank Stoffregen won the council seat, with 189 votes to Williamson's 182.

Stoffregen could not be reached to comment Tuesday night.

"I've done four years, and I've been appreciative of that, and I just wish him the best with his four," Williamson said.

He added he was surprised by Tuesday's low voter turnout. "I expected more," he said.

Fewer than 3,500 ballots were cast in the city.

Purcell said he was happy with his 63.8 percent share of the vote in Ward 3.

"I feel like they've placed a great deal of trust in me, and I plan on not disappointing them," he said.

Wards 1 and 3 were the only contested races in this year's City Council elections.

Stoffregen, 223 Capaha Trail, sells real estate and is part owner of P and S Development in Cape Girardeau. He has lived in Cape Girardeau County for more than 30 years.

Williamson, 117 Centennial Drive, owns an insurance agency in Cape Girardeau. A native of Sikeston, he has lived in Cape Girardeau since 1981 and is a former Missouri state trooper.

Williamson and Stoffregen squared off the first time in 1994, the first election in which City Council members were elected by ward. Williamson won that contest by fewer than 20 votes.

Purcell, 315 N. Pacific, owns apartments and a coin laundry in Cape Girardeau and works at Dana Corp. He is a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau County.

Stevens, 329 N. Pacific, owns tax preparation offices in Ste. Genevieve and Perryville and sells real estate. He has lived in Cape Girardeau since 1968.

Mayor Al Spradling III and Councilmen Tom Neumeyer in Ward 2 and Richard "Butch" Eggimann in Ward 6 all ran without opposition for their second terms in office.

Spradling, Neumeyer and Eggimann all won their second terms this year.

Under the city charter, members of the City Council can only serve two consecutive terms.

The three could sit out a year and then file for new terms.