COUNTY OFFICEHOLDERS TAKE OATHS OF OFFICE

JACKSON -- The room was filled mostly with faces familiar to county government as the winners of November's county elections took their oaths of office Tuesday.

Of the seven people sworn in at the Cape Girardeau County Commission chambers by County Clerk Rodney Miller, only one -- 2nd District County Commissioner Max Stovall -- is a freshman officeholder.

The returning incumbents to receive their commissions were 1st District Commissioner Larry Bock, Sheriff John Jordan, Assessor Jerry Reynolds, Treasurer Bill Reynolds, Public Administrator John Ferguson and Coroner John Carpenter.

Although Jordan won re-election in November, this is his first full term as sheriff. Jordan previously won a special election to fill the unexpired term left by the retirement of Norman Copeland.

"It makes me extremely happy that voters were satisfied with the job I was doing," Jordan said. "I'll keep answering to the citizens."

Jordan said there won't be a great number of changes in department operations during his first full term.

However, with Cape Girardeau County's move to first-class status, which took effect Wednesday, Jordan will have more authority over his department than he previously had concerning personnel. Jordan said he will continue to work closely with the County Commission concerning the department.

One top project affecting the department will be the jail expansion project. County officials expect work to begin on the 96-bed addition in late 1997.

One county officeholder -- Carpenter -- was almost out of a job because of the first-class move. Although state statutes dictate that medical examiners replace coroners in first-class counties, the commission felt the coroner system worked well in Cape Girardeau County and saved the county a significant amount of money.

"I talked to the commission, and we really didn't see the benefit of having a medical examiner," Carpenter said.

State legislators from the area worked to pass a law exempting the county from the medical examiner requirement.

Having an appointed medical examiner could have cost the county well in excess of $100,000.

Even if the county had not obtained an exemption, Carpenter, who is beginning his third term, would have served as coroner through 2000. According to state law, an office cannot be abolished if someone has been elected by the people to serve in that office.

"People in Cape Girardeau County really have the best of both worlds and they do not have to pay $150,000 to $200,000 for a system we really don't need," Carpenter said.

For most of the other county officeholders, the first-class change will have little effect.

Assessor Reynolds said there will be some major changes in tax assessment this year. However, details on how the changes will be implemented still need to be worked out.