Six Republicans seeking Cape County Coroner seat

Six candidates are vying for the Republican nomination for the Cape Girardeau County coroner position during the upcoming primary election.

In addition to incumbent Wavis Jordan — who was removed from the office following felony charges accusing him of falsifying death records — and current deputy coroner Craig Williams, paramedic Ted Ivie, physician Chad Armstrong, funeral director Mark Seesing and private investigator John Mackey each seek the party's nomination on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

The Southeast Missourian sent questionnaires to each candidate running in a contested race in order to inform voters on each candidate’s plans for office ahead of the Aug. 6 primary election. Candidates were asked to answer each question in 100 or fewer words. Any answer significantly longer than 100 words has been edited for brevity. Candidate responses are presented as written by the candidate and have only been edited for spelling and grammatical errors.

Jordan did not return a questionnaire.

What experience do you have that would be relevant as coroner?

Armstrong: As the only physician running. I have the medical training to understand the human body. I have taken numerous hours of continuing education and classes over forensics and death investigation.

Ivie: I am a paramedic and have been employed at New Madrid County Ambulance District (NMCAD) for about the past 11 years. I was a station chief for six of those years, and for about the past two years, I have been the assistant director of NMCAD. In my current role, I oversee four stations and assist in running the day-to-day operations of the district as a whole. I not only have hands-on experience handling death scenes and collaborating with other first responders, but experience and business knowledge to effectively run an office and manage deputies.

Mackey: I have been a private investigator in SE Missouri for 20 years now. My case loads range from fraud cases to wrongful death cases. I am also a graduate of DIA (Death Investigation Academy) from Cuba, Missouri. I have been trained as a medicolegal death investigator, investigating death cases for adults, infants and children of all ages. I am also a U.S. Navy Veteran Hospital corpsman and a Missouri Army National Guard veteran as a combat medic with the 1140th Headquarters Company in Cape Girardeau. I am not new to death scenes and investigating their causes.

Seesing: I have nearly three decades (28 years) as a licensed funeral director and embalmer, having assisted more than 4,000 families. I am a SEMA/FEMA trained instructor and taught mass fatality response courses to coroners, first responders and health care professionals.

I was a first responder to the worst natural disaster in Missouri history — the F-5 tornado that struck Joplin in May of 2011, acting as coordinator for the morgue operations center.

As airport manager, I was responsible for a multi-million dollar budget. I have been involved in state and federal granting and AIP construction projects.

Williams: My experience that would showcase relevancy when it comes to the open coroner position includes my current role as deputy coroner for Cape Girardeau County, which has allowed me to take on almost all of the responsibilities of the previously removed coroner, as well as my background and education with mortuary science and my rooted relationships with the forensic pathologists and coroners of the area. To my knowledge, aside from the previously removed coroner, I am the only candidate running that has actual experience working within the coroner’s office. Additionally, my background with mortuary science should be taken into consideration.

What is the most important job/responsibility the coroner has?

Armstrong: To determine the manner and cause of death.

Ivie: To serve the public by providing accurate and timely information about the circumstances surrounding a death, which is crucial for legal, public health and family closure purposes. This should be done through the objective lens of a trained professional.

Mackey: One of the most important job responsibilities of the coroner is to be exact and precise for the causes of death. The coroner is the voice for the deceased. Giving respect and maintaining the dignity of the deceased as well as the respect and dignity of the deceased’s family needs to always be given.

Seesing: The coroner’s sworn duty is to follow the state's statutes and laws to protect and preserve public health and safety and to assure all deaths are investigated to determine if circumstances and cause warrant further criminal investigation. As coroner I will assure all cases are handled in a timely and professional manner. I will be an advocate for the families who are affected by the death of their family member and ensure proper documentation of death certificates in a precise and timely manner.

Williams: The most important job of the coroner, in my opinion, is to fully represent those who have passed away as far as giving them a voice. The coroner should accurately depict the stories of those who are deceased, relaying sound evidence and fact-based information to family members and law enforcement agencies. Additionally, it is also vitally important that any coroner adhere to and stay compliant to all laws that are listed in the Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 58, which outlines laws depicting what coroners must and must not do.

Do you support a legislative proposal to establish more stringent requirements for county coroners, including that they have basic levels of medical training?

Armstrong: I do believe it is important to have a medical background to understand the pathophysiology of the body.

Ivie: Yes. Rep. John Voss's proposed bill, HB 2777, was inspirational in my decision to run for the coroner position. I recently completed a Medicolegal Death Investigation Course, which in combination with my paramedic background, would qualify me for the position under his original proposed bill.

Mackey: I strongly push for more stringent qualifications for the office of the coroner. There have been too many people running for this office that are not qualified. For example, real estate agents are not qualified, small funeral home directors are not qualified and even medical doctors are not qualified if they are not qualified as a medical examiner. How much time an individual has to devote to the office is a major part. … I firmly support the Missouri State Legislature passing a law making all future coroners be medically qualified to run for the position. If not a medical examiner, then a medicolegal death investigator, which I am.

Seesing: If the position were to move from an elected corner to a medical examiner, then yes, I would be in favor of requiring multiple levels of training and certifications. Having basic medical training such as an EMT certificate would be useful. However, when the coroner is dispatched, all lifesaving efforts have been exhausted. As an embalmer I have very specific and detailed training in identifying the postmortem effects on a human body. This includes physical inspection of the body to detect any evidence of suspicious circumstances. I fully support continuing education for the coroner once elected and the deputy coroners.

Williams: I think a legislative proposal would need to be written with the consideration of other occupations and all regional county populations that can benefit the office of the coroner, like medical occupations, mortuary occupations and law enforcement occupations. Other counties in our region do not have the same luxuries that Cape Girardeau County does, like six individuals running for one position, and so I think that if the state of Missouri were to impose more requirements for the elected position of coroner, it might become even more difficult for smaller counties to find qualified individuals willing to run to fill the coroner positions.

How will you ensure the residents of your county can trust you in this position?

Armstrong: I will run an office that is open and transparent to the extent that it can be regarding not only death investigations, but also how the office is run.

Ivie: Consistent and relentless execution of the objective professional role of the job. Honesty - Integrity - Trustworthiness has been the foundation of my campaign and a foundation that I have stood on my whole life. I also strive to be a familiar and approachable face in the community. I have freely shared my contact information and encourage anyone with questions or concerns to reach out to me (573-703-7325 or ivieforcoroner@gmail.com). I am a servant to the citizens of Cape County.

Mackey: With my 20 years of being a Missouri licensed private investigator, I have held all my clients and non-clients’ cases along with their interviews at the highest confidentiality level possible. They can rely on my background and experience to be able to perform my job, as their coroner, to the very best of my ability. I will also implement an open-door policy where they can make appointments to see me so they can express their concerns. Not just a phone call appointment.

Seesing: As Cape Girardeau County Coroner I will ensure the office is run with transparency and professionalism. I will maintain an open line of communication 24/7. There will be complete cooperation with law enforcement and the health department to document the cause of death so that the death certificates are filed accurately and in a timely manner.

Williams: Gaining public trust is a large task, especially when it comes to being tasked with righting the wrongs of former coroners. I want residents of Cape Girardeau County to know that they can trust me as an individual, along with my skill set and my knowledge of the industry. I am currently serving as the deputy coroner and am enacting the duties of the coroner every day. I feel confident that were I to be elected, a smooth transition would occur for Cape Girardeau County, as there would be no “catching up.”

What formal training/education do you have that qualifies you for the position?

Armstrong: I received my medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

Ivie: I consider myself extremely well rounded and an ideal candidate for this position. I first received my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from SEMO in 2009. I later attended the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center and successfully completed their paramedic program. I attended the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners Medicolegal Death Investigation Course. I also attended training in Anniston, Ala., at the Center for Domestic Preparedness to become a FEMA instructor. In addition, I am an American Heart Association instructor in basic life support, advanced cardiovascular life support and pediatric advanced life support.

Mackey: I am a medicolegal death investigator as well as a licensed Missouri private investigator. I conduct wrongful death investigations ranging from infants to the elderly. I have 11 years in the U.S. Navy as a hospital corpsman and in the Missouri Army National Guard as a combat medic with the 1140th combat engineers. I have also graduated from the Death Investigation Academy in Cuba, Missouri.

Seesing: I hold a degree in Mortuary Sciences from SIU-Carbondale. I have participated in multiple courses conducted by the State Emergency Management Agency where I learned incident command, which is the standardized, on-scene, all-risk incident management concept with additional training in crime scene documentation and mass fatality response procedures.

Williams: As far as relevant education, I received my mortuary science degree from Saint Louis Community College-Forest Park in 2013, which started the basis for my understanding of how the body reacts to different causes of death.

My formal training includes currently serving as deputy coroner for Cape Girardeau County, a position I was appointed to following the removal of the previous coroner from his office. My daily job duties include: working alongside our local and state law enforcement agencies and first responders, conducting death investigations and determining the causes and manners of death for individuals, removing and transporting deceased individuals from their places of death.

What would your budget priorities be as coroner?

Armstrong: I would work to add state-of-the-art equipment that assists in the death investigations.

Ivie: I would work towards streamlining administrative processes and case management to increase operational efficiency. I would ensure adequate staffing and resources to handle the workload efficiently and allocate funds for ongoing training and professional development for all staff of the coroner's office. If funds allow, I would like to invest in modern forensic tools and technologies if needed.

Mackey: My budget priorities would first have all my deputy coroners take the Medicolegal Legal Death Investigators course through the Death Investigation Academy in Cuba, Mo. A reasonable fee for the knowledge that would be gained.

Seesing: I would like to see the coroner’s office located in a secure county-owned facility, thereby ensuring the legal chain of custody is followed. My priority would be to operate the coroner’s office in an efficient and cost-effective manner, having competent, capable, and professional staff. Training and continuing education is also top priority, as is having proper equipment and the maintenance of that equipment.

Williams: If elected coroner, my mindset for budgeting would be to always be prepared for the worst, but to not waste a single tax dollar. In the line of work of the coroner, one can never predict how many death investigations will need to be conducted, but I can assure voters of Cape Girardeau County that every dollar spent on behalf of the coroner’s office will benefit Cape Girardeau County and its residents.

When I first came into the role of deputy coroner, our office was severely unequipped. Sheriff (Ruth Ann) Dickerson has done a great job at getting our office back on track and in order.