Council sets election to fill Ward 5 seat

The Cape Girardeau City Council has set Aug. 7 as the date for a special election to fill the Ward 5 unexpired term in which only a single candidate is running.

Ryan Essex, who was chosen by the council earlier this month to temporarily fill the Ward 5 council seat, was the only candidate to file for the special election by the Tuesday deadline.

The unexpired term, created with the election of Bob Fox as mayor, ends in April 2020.

Essex, chief operating officer of Gibson Recovery Center, was chosen by the council from among two applicants to temporarily fill the seat after he said he was interested in running for the position in the special election.

He submitted the necessary nominating petition required under the city charter to run for the council seat.

Council members set the election during a special meeting Wednesday at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. After the brief session, council members toured the airport.

The council held a special meeting so the election could be set in time to meet next Tuesday's deadline to get the issue on the August ballot, city officials said.