County sees little filing activity day before deadline

JACKSON, Mo. -- Six Cape Girardeau County officeholders could find it easy to hold onto their jobs this election year.

The four Democrats and two Republicans faced no opposition as of Monday, the day before the filing deadline for the August primary. The filing deadline is 5 p.m. today.

There hasn't been a flurry of candidates filing since the filing period opened on Feb. 26. Eleven candidates, including eight incumbents, filed that day. Only one candidate, Lawrence Kasten of Cape Girardeau, has filed since that time.

Kasten's filing in early March sets up a Republican primary battle with incumbent Gary Kamp for associate circuit judge Division III.

Rodney Miller, county clerk and one of the incumbents currently unopposed, said he doesn't expect to see a lot of candidates file today.

"Not very often do we have anyone file on the last day," Miller said. "Normally, serious candidates already have filed."

Miller said most incumbents don't want a month-long filing period. "In New Mexico, they have one day to file for county office," he said.

Besides Miller, incumbents currently running unopposed are Recorder of Deeds Janet Robert, Circuit Clerk Charles Hutson, and Division IV Associate Circuit Judge Peter Statler, all Democrats; and Collector Diane Diebold and Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, both Republicans.

The only contested races so far are on the Republican side. Besides the race for associate circuit judge, there are two other GOP contests.

David Ludwig and Matt Hopkins are running for county auditor. The current auditor, H. Weldon Macke, is retiring. Gerald Jones, presiding commissioner, faces a primary battle from Democrat-turned-Republican Doug Flannery of Whitewater, Mo.