Candidates try to woo voters at Tea Party forum

With the Aug. 5 primary weeks away, candidates running in contested races in Cape Girardeau offered their best pitches to voters at a Tuesday night forum.

Hosted at the Cape Girardeau Public Library by the Cape County Tea Party, candidates answered a question about how they would reduce the size of government and cut spending and explained to voters why they should be elected to their respective offices.

The candidates in attendance were Jeffrey Dix and Gary Kamp for associate circuit judge; Scott R. Clark and Drew Blattner for Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds; Victor R. Gunn and Evan Trump for Cape Girardeau City Council, Ward 3; and Allen Moss, Trae Bertrand and Michael Gardner for circuit judge. All are Republicans.

Candidates were called to the podium one at a time while their opponents were asked to leave the room.

The forum began with associate circuit judge candidates. Dix spoke first and said he would like to improve efficiency in Division III. He said it averaged nearly 600 disqualifications a year under Kamp, the longtime incumbent.

Under state law, attorneys can seek to have a judge disqualified from hearing a case. When that happens in Division III, the case is moved to a judge in Bollinger or Perry County. Kamp has argued lawyers that disqualified him for the convenience of moving to a court that meets once a month, giving them more time between appearances to work on cases. Dix said Tuesday night he believed the moves were for more personal reasons.

"It's got nothing to do with convenience. He treats lawyers poorly. He treats defendants poorly," he said of his opponent. "He's demeaning, and quite frankly, I got tired of it."

Kamp, who entered the room after Dix wrapped up his speech and left immediately after for a funeral service, said "I have no qualm at all running on the 20 year record I have ..." He said he's increased efficiency in the circuit court by reducing the time it took to resolve misdemeanor cases from 90 days to 60 days or fewer. That means the individuals involved spend less time in jail and use less taxpayer money, he pointed out.

The recorder of deeds candidates also promised efficiency if elected to office. Clark, the incumbent, said he's given the office an online presence and made more records accessible online. He also pointed out these moves did not require spending any money, "only my time."

Blattner said if elected to the position, he would like to further increase access to records. He works for the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center and has dedicated much of his life to researching the history of his family and the county, and said he decided to run for the recorder's office to make sure anyone with similar research interests could access the right documents.

For Gunn and Trump, the forum was the first opportunity to speak publicly to voters.

As a fiscal conservative, Gunn said he planned to "question everything that comes before me" to make sure the most sound financial decisions were made, from trash pickup to public safety.

"I will ensure that those services will be provided at the maximum level, but with fiscal responsibility," he said.

Trump expressed concerns about many issues, especially public safety and infrastructure maintenance. He said he would like to work on retention rates among police officers to prevent Cape Girardeau from becoming a "training ground" for new officers who leave after only a couple of years. Trump also called for more attention on maintaining existing roads and sidewalks rather than new projects.

The night closed with the three circuit judge candidates, all of whom emphasized the role of experience. Moss has experience as a municipal judge, making him the only candidate with experience sitting behind the bench, he said. Gardner and Bertrand argued that experience is no guarantee of quality.

"None of us have experience being circuit judge," Bertrand said. "There would be a learning curve for all of us."

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

711 N. Clark Ave., Cape Girardeau, Mo.