COMPETITION STIFF FOR PERRY COMMISSION SEAT

PERRYVILLE -- While Mike Yamnitz battles four other primary candidates for his Perry County Commission seat, sole Democrat Carrie Key is a shoe-in for the November general election.

County Clerk Randy Taylor attributed more interest in the seat to a new law changing associate commissioners' terms from two to four years. The primary election is Tuesday.

Yamnitz, a manager of MFA Oil, won his seat in 1992, and was re-elected in 1994. The 35-year-old commissioner said he has accomplished several goals, including enlarging the county's road department crew and purchasing better equipment.

"We've kept a sound budget and worked very well with the public," Yamnitz said. "We're getting things lined out to take on the future of the county."

He serves on the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission's budget committee and is a member of the Elks Lodge, the Perry County Extension Club, the Chamber of Commerce and a booster member of the American Legion. Yamnitz and his family attend Crossroad United Methodist Church in Bollinger County.

W.P. "Wick" Baudendistel, 55, said his six years working for the county's road and bridge department prepared him for a commissioner's seat. He is retired from Army Special Forces. He and his wife, Sharon, have two grown children.

Livestock and grain farmer Norman Reiss is listed as a member of several farm organizations, including the Missouri Pork Producers Board, National Corn Growers Association and Perry County Farm Bureau. Reiss, 57, received the Conservation Farmer of the Year Award in 1968 from the Perry County Soil and Water Conservation District, of which he is a member.

Reiss said it would be a challenge to represent the concerns of people in the Western District, a challenge he wants to face. "I feel that the people are entitled to more consideration," he said. "These dusty roads are hazardous to the health of the people and harmful to vehicles."

Reiss and his wife, Jo-ann, have three grown sons.

Eldon "Sonny" Kaufmann hasn't held public office but said his 25 years of elected church and civic offices have helped prepare him for a seat on the Perry County Commission.

A representative of Moorman Manufacturing Co. of Quincy, Ill., Kaufmann, 55, sells feed to livestock producers in the Western District. He and his wife, Carol, have three grown daughters and seven grandchildren.

"My work experience has taught me the importance of listening to people's concerns and treating them with respect," Kaufmann said. "It is also important to devote the time necessary to be informed and make wise decisions concerning the use of tax dollars."

Elbert Bohnert, 42, is trying again for the Western District seat. Bohnert, a lifelong resident of the county, owns a trucking and landscaping business. Bohnert studied business and human resource management at St. Louis Community College, and has taken courses in political science and government. He and his wife, Syndi, have three children.

He ran unsuccessfully for commission in 1992. In 1994 he made an unsuccessful bid for the 155th District state representative seat. He said his campaigns have given him a good understanding of people's concerns.

"In the outlying areas, it's mostly roads and bridges. Right now there are things like being present for the commission meetings, doing more follow-up and treating people respectfully in our district," Bohnert said.

Democrat Carrie Key, a graduate of Sanford-Brown Business College, studied computerized accounting systems and business law, business psychology and business management. Key, 33, is a member of the Perry County Democratic Committee and Phi Beta Lambda and volunteers at the Perry County Crisis Center. She has a son, Kevin, 12.

"Not only do I have the educational background, but I also have plain, common sense," Key said. "Nobody knows more about getting things done on a tight budget than a single parent."