COUNTY OFFICEHOLDERS TO SEEK NEW TERMS

JACKSON - The announcement last week by Sheriff Norman Copeland that he will seek re-election fills out the card: all Cape Girardeau County officeholders up for election this year will likely file again.

Last month, the sheriff said he was undecided about whether he would run, but said on Thursday that his mind was made up.

Several potential candidates in both parties had been exploring the possibility of running for sheriff last year after Copeland indicated he would not decide whether to seek re-election until January. Most of the potential candidates were looking at the sheriff's race only if Copeland decided to retire.

Filing for all offices on the 1992 ballot begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Candidates for offices in Cape County file at the office of County Clerk Rodney Miller, in the county administration building in Jackson.

There is a $50 filing fee for county offices. Filing will continue until the last week of March. If two or more candidates file for the same office under the same party label, the nominee will be chosen in the August primary election.

Candidates for the Missouri House and Senate, U.S. Congress, and statewide offices must file with the secretary of state's office in the Truman Office Building in Jefferson City.

Assessor Jerry Reynolds, the only Democrat up for re-election in 1992, plans to file Tuesday for another four-year term. He was first elected in 1976.

Republican incumbents expected to seek new four-year terms are Treasurer Bill Reynolds, first elected in 1980; Coroner John Carpenter, elected in 1988; and Public Administrator John Ferguson, who won his post in 1988.

Filing for new two-year terms will be the county's associate commissioners, Leonard F. Sander and E.C. Younghouse. Both are Republican.

Sander, who represents the 1st District, was elected the first time as commissioner in 1976. Younghouse, who serves the 2nd District, was appointed in 1988 to fill out the remaining year of the term of Democrat J. Ronald Fischer, who resigned to become city manager of Cape Girardeau. Younghouse was elected to a full term in 1988 and re-elected in 1990.

The 1st District includes Jackson, the outcounty area, and Ward 17 in Cape Girardeau. The 2nd District includes all of the city of Cape, except Ward 17.

Copeland assumed the duties of sheriff in March 1986 at a time of controversy. Republican Dwight Thomas, who took office on Jan. 1, 1985, resigned after drawing criticism over his handling of an accident investigation involving his chief deputy.

Following Thomas' resignation, the county commission appointed Copeland to fill the vacancy, and in November 1986 he won the remaining two years of the term. In 1988 he won a full four-year term.

"I have enjoyed most of my work here. I think we've made an impact on the public as to our credibility, which we didn't have when we started," said Copeland, in announcing plans to seek re-election.

"I think we have shown an ability, desire, and proper training to carry out the functions of this office and are manned with excellent personnel. We are making inroads on crime in Cape Girardeau County, though that is not to say there isn't any."

With the implementation of the new Enhanced 911 emergency telephone service starting, Copeland said he is looking forward to being involved in that process.

The sheriff has been active in many law enforcement-related organizations, including the board of directors of the SEMO Drug Task Force.

Copeland said some people had been wanting to know whether he might run again and he kept telling them "it was too early to tell. But now they know. I am running. I'm certainly not ready to retire."

Copeland retired after 29 years with the Missouri State Highway Patrol in 1983. He was chief of security for three years at St. Francis Medical Center before becoming sheriff.