Commission candidates speak at Pachyderm Club meeting

In a field of 10 candidates, finding issues and positions that differ from those of opponents can be difficult. On Thursday evening, contenders for the GOP nomination in Cape Girardeau County's District 1 commission race tried to do that in an appearance before the Pachyderm Club.

One candidate, former county auditor Weldon Macke, was the lone voice calling for a major overhaul of county government by writing a charter or "county constitution" that would make county government more powerful while separating the legislative and administrative duties.

Another candidate, Jackson businessman Rick Shultz, apparently violated state election laws by promising to donate 10 percent of the job's $65,000-plus salary to charity. Told afterward of the conflict with state law, that makes such promises a class 4 election offense, Schultz said he was unaware of the law and said he would not repeat the promise.

During the approximately 90-minute event, nine of the 10 candidates answered a series of questions about their views and made two-minute open and closing pitches for votes. The 10th candidate, former Delta School District superintendent Tom Allen, was at a spiritual retreat and sent banker David Crader to speak on his behalf.

Along with Macke, Shultz and Allen, the candidates for the office are Rick Aufdenberg, a Tilsit farmer; Joe Bob Baker, a Jackson salvage yard operator and alderman; Stephen Daume, a Daisy cattle breeder; Bill Hahs, owner of Semo Ag & Dairy; Paul Koeper, vice president of Penzel Construction Co.; Jeff Hahs, an Oak Ridge contractor; and Kenneth Waldron, a lawyer. The winner will face the winner of a three-way Democratic primary. The election is Aug. 5.

Each candidate is seeking the edge that will help them win the hotly contested primary. They are vying for the commission seat that includes Jackson and most of unincorporated Cape Girardeau County. The incumbent, Republican Larry Bock, is retiring.

All of the candidates cited their longtime ties to the county. Some, like Aufdenberg and Daume, cited a lifetime as a county resident while others, such as Jeff Hahs, are able to claim decades as residents.

And on most issues, the candidates found agreement. None of them want to purchase the old federal building in downtown Cape Girardeau for use by the courts and county officeholders. And there was general agreement that the commission itself needs to reform its practices, holding more night meetings and working to restore public confidence following bitter differences over Sunshine Law practices and secret recordings.

When asked to name the most important issue for a new commissioner, many cited the strife.

Working together is a top issue, Waldron said. "That sounds like a trite thing, but anybody who knows the local area and has read the paper knows that has not been the case."

Aufdenberg suggested treating the current bickering like the disputes among children: "Sometimes they remind you of a couple of 10-year-old kids who need to be locked in a room together."

For Baker, the No. 1 issue for a new commissioner would be restoring trust: "After what has been happening in the county commission, this trust is going to have to be earned."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126