BUSY IN ORAN: POSTMASTER IS MAYOR, ON SCHOOL BOARD

ORAN -- Tom Urhahn is the man to talk to if you want to know what's going on in and around Oran.

Urhahn, Oran mayor and president of the Oran Board of Education, is seeking re-election as mayor and school board member April 4. He also is the Oran postmaster.

It is the first time he has had to run two campaigns at once. The Missouri Ethics Commission has ruled it isn't a conflict of interest for a county or city official to also serve on a local school board.

Urhahn doesn't mind the work. "It's only two meetings a month," he says of his elected posts, and each lasts only about an hour.

That isn't all Urhahn does: His commitments also include the Knights of Columbus and Veterans of Foreign Wars groups.

People need to be involved in their community, says Urhahn, and that is why he ran for office to begin with.

He served 12 years as alderman before becoming mayor four years ago.

As mayor of this Scott County community, he knows how the budget works, what projects are under contract and just about everything else about how the city operates.

He has brought the city through a rough time with its water system. Two city wells were contaminated last year by a leak in an underground gasoline tank. The water must be tested weekly by the Department of Natural Resources to make sure it is safe to drink.

"It's been a long year with that issue, but it's not like a member of the board was responsible," he said. The city just fell on some hard luck, he said.

Urhahn hopes the city can get an insurance settlement this week. The money from the settlement will help pay for two new wells.

Urhahn said it would have been easy not to refile for election. "But I couldn't walk away from the problem. I felt it was my obligation to see it out."

So he is seeking a third term without opposition.

While the city has had a rough year, Urhahn is proud of the school district's accomplishments. Oran schools received the highest honor that can be bestowed during an accreditation process recently.

Urhahn said he wants to keep the school district moving forward, and that means staying on the job.

He first ran for school board when his two sons were in school nine years ago. "I wanted to get involved, and that's the only way," he said. "It's been a rewarding experience."

He's often is stopped at the post office by people who want to talk about a problem or complaint concerning the community or schools. And he gets plenty of phone calls at home on weekends and at night.

"I'm available," he said.

Urhahn stops by City Hall from 1 to 1:30 p.m. each weekday to get an update on city business. He signs any payroll checks, picks up messages and talks to the city clerk.

He knows where the new funeral home will be built and that the factory down the highway wants to hire more people. He can tell that the Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for a summer of activities just by peeking in the windows of their offices.

As he walks down the town's main street, he waves to friends and neighbors. People already know his name, so there aren't many signs advertising his campaigns.

Urhahn also was up for re-election to the town's fire district board, but he thought running for three offices at once would be a bit too much. "My name would be on the ballot too many times," he said.

Urhahn said if people don't get involved in their community the community will regress. "People don't want to take the time, and they think somebody else will do the job," he said. "It's a thankless job, and they know it."

Two of the city's wards don't have a candidate on the ballot. Write-in candidates will be accepted for alderman seats in Wards 2 and 4.

"People need to know it takes the whole board," to make decisions, he said, adding it isn't a one-man job.