Account exec says he will run for Cape's Ward 3 council seat

Trent Summers, the man who helped persuade voters last year to endorse Isle of Capri's new casino, announced his intention Sunday to run for the Cape Girardeau City Council seat being vacated next year by the one council member who opposed it.

Summers, 32, said Sunday he will officially file Tuesday -- the day the filing period opens -- for Debra Tracy's Ward 3 seat in the April 3 election. Working from a voter registry, Summers said, he had already gathered more than the 50 required signatures from those within the central-city ward.

Summers joins council incumbents Loretta Schneider and Mark Lanzotti, who are seeking to retain their respective Ward 4 and 5 seats.

"With Mrs. Tracy's decision to not seek re-election, there is a need for someone from the community to come forward and serve," Summers said. "I believe that I can use my background in government and the private sector to effectively contribute to continued growth and improvement for our city and skillfully represent my neighbors of the third ward."

Summers is an account executive at Red Letter Communications and was the chairman of the Yes for Gaming campaign committee. He is also the husband of Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers.

Tracy, who did not return calls Sunday seeking comment, decided not to run again even though she was eligible. Tracy, an administrative assistant for the Cape Girardeau School District, has said she faces time constraints now that she has taken a second job as the pastor of a church in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Summers is an ardent casino supporter, and his boss, Jim Riley, was one of the downtown property owners who sold land to Isle of Capri for its $125 million facility. Tracy, meanwhile, was the most vocal casino opponent last year, worrying about negative effects such as litter and increased crime.

But Summers said he respects Tracy and that any philosophical differences they have wasn't a factor in his decision to run.

"I haven't gone through all of her votes, but from what I know and have seen, we disagreed on that one issue and we did it very respectfully," Summers said. "Deb took a principled stand, and I respect that."

Summers said he received a "tremendous amount" of support and encouragement as he went door to door to gather the signatures, though he did hear from a few Ward 3 residents who told him that they had opposed the casino.

But Summers thinks he can serve his constituents well, saying he favors smaller government while keeping an eye to the practical. Summers said he doesn't have a set agenda or a "preset list" of issues.

"I just see a need for service, and I'm looking to learn a lot between now and the election," he said.

Summers is a 1997 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School and holds a bachelor's from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, where he studied history and English. He has worked as assistant commissioner of administration for the state of Missouri and as director of environmental and regulatory affairs for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He also worked for Matt Blunt as a policy adviser when Blunt was governor and as an elections specialist when Blunt was secretary of state. Summers also worked for a year as a field representative for Sen. John Ashcroft a decade ago.

"I have a good working knowledge of how government works at the state and local level," Summers said. "At the same time, I think I bring fresh perspective to the issues."

If his signatures are validated, Summers announcement Sunday means that there will be at least one candidate for each council ward that is up for election, including Wards 4 and 5.

Council petitions had been available since Oct. 3 and, until Friday, only Schneider and Lanzotti -- who represent Ward 4 and 5, respectively -- had announced their candidacies and picked up petitions.

While Summers announcements erases a worry about not having a Ward 3 candidate at all, if the election picture doesn't change, it means voters who live in one of these three wards won't have much choice when election day rolls around. All three races will be uncontested without any other candidates.

Mayor Harry Rediger rejected the suggestion that the number of candidates is an indicator of little public interest to run for city council.

"I still think it's early," Rediger said last week, before Summers' announcement. "I don't think people realize it's happening yet. There hasn't been enough word out to gather people's interest on it."

Candidates have until the Nov. 22 filing deadline to turn in petitions.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO