Baker to run for Ward 5 council seat

With the opening of the filing period still weeks away, a Ward 5 resident already has announced her intention to run for Cape Girardeau City Council.

Lindsay Baker announced Wednesday her plans to run for the seat that will be left vacant by term-limited Councilman Mark Lanzotti in April.

Baker is an associate producer at FOX 23 and My49, where she has worked for eight years. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 2005 with a degree in Mass Communication and is a member of First Baptist Jackson.

She began thinking about running for council when she attended her first meeting earlier this year, she said. After hearing her ward representative would hit term limits next year, Baker said it seemed like a sign she should give it a try.

"I went again this past Monday to the council meeting and it was going to be my deciding factor, just kind of see what feeling I got from it," she said. "As I sat there, I just thought, You know, I'm going to do this."

Among her priorities, Baker cited supporting public safety, focusing on continued growth of Cape Girardeau and encouraging the maintenance and revitalization of the downtown area.

Her husband, Norman, is a captain at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, but she said her support of public safety goes beyond his involvement.

"Of course, my husband being a firefighter is a reason why that's one of my priorities, but I feel like what's more important to this city than our safety and knowing we can rely on these people?" she said.

Baker also said she felt there were a number of ways the city could support its public safety officers and ensure they have all needed resources, adding that she was happy to see the Fire Tax pass last November.

As for the growth of downtown, she said her goal is simply to continue to support the growth it's seen in recent years.

"Living here in the area for 15 years and as a resident of Cape Girardeau for five, I see so many positive changes to our downtown," she said. "For a while, it seemed like there were a lot of vacancies and it wasn't a hopping place to be. But just in five years, so many positive changes have happened."

Baker recognized her name is probably unknown to many in her ward, which is why she plans to focus her efforts in the next few weeks on getting out and meeting new people. A move such as running for city council is "a little outside my comfort zone," she said, so she's taking it one step at a time.

"I just want to attend as many events as I can and talk to as many people as I can, and let everyone know what my intentions are. We'll see where it goes from there," she said.

Nominating petitions will be available at city hall on Oct. 1. Candidates must be nominated by a petition, signed by at least 50 voters registered in the ward for which the candidate is seeking election. Nominated candidates may file with the city between Oct. 20 and Nov. 17, 2015.

If more than two candidates file for a ward, a primary election will be held Feb. 2. The general election will be held April 5.

The April election also will include the seats for Ward 4 -- held by term-limited Councilwoman Loretta Schneider -- and Ward 3, to which Victor Gunn was elected in a 2014 special election.

srinehart@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.