ELECTIONS ARE SET FOR THIS SPRING; RACE FOR JACKSON MAYOR MAY DEVELOP

JACKSON - A rare mayoral race between 11-term Mayor Carlton Meyer and Ward 1 Alderman Paul Sander will likely highlight this spring's Jackson municipal election.

Sander, who is completing his third term as alderman, will announce Tuesday whether he will seek the seat held by Meyer for 22 years.

Earlier this month Sander told a reporter he was considering running for mayor after receiving support and encouragement from within the community.

The filing period for candidates for municipal and school board offices will open Tuesday and close Feb. 2. Municipal elections will be held in Jackson, Chaffee and Scott City, and in all area school districts.

In addition to electing a new mayor, Jackson voters will also elect five aldermen, including two from Ward 2. The fifth aldermen will fill out the one-year unexpired term of Ward 2 Alderman Phil Johnston, who announced his resignation during the board's Dec. 28 work session. The resignation is effective May 1.

The board today will amend the election ordinance that was approved in early December to include the vacancy created by Johnston's resignation. Johnston is completing the first year of his third term in office.

Johnston and his family are moving to Oklahoma, where he has accepted a position with a computer firm in Tulsa.

Candidates filing for Johnston's Ward 2 seat must declare when filing whether they are seeking to fill the one-year unexpired term or the full two-year term currently held by Ward 2 Alderman Kevin Sawyer.

Besides Meyer, Sander and Sawyer, other city officials whose term expires in April include City Collector Beverly Nelson, Ward 3 Alderman Val Tuschhoff and Ward 4 Alderman Jack Piepenbrok. All of the incumbents have said they will seek re-election.

Voters in Chaffee will elect four aldermen on April 6. Aldermen whose terms expire next April include:

Ward 1 Bill Cannon, who is completing his second two-year term on the board.

Ward 2 Ed Gauthier, who is completing his third term.

Ward 3 Danny Finley, who is completing his first term.

Ward 4 Alderman and Mayor Pro Tem Tom Cunningham, who is completing his third term as alderman. Cunningham was appointed to the board in 1987 by former Mayor Robert Capshaw to fill out a one-year unexpired term.

Because of legislation approved last year by the Missouri General Assembly, the number of seats on local school boards in the state will expand from six to seven. That means voters in most school districts will be voting for three instead of two candidates next April.

In the Jackson School District, school board members whose terms expire next April are Dr. T. Wayne Lewis, who is completing his second year on the board, and Darrell Hanschen, who is completing his first term as board member. Both announced Saturday they will file for re-election.

In the Chaffee School District, the terms of board members Philip Dame and James Chronister will expire in April.

Candidates for school board may file at the school superintendent's office. In Jackson, the office is on Oklahoma Street north of the high school, and in Chaffee the superintendent's office is in the high school.

A school board candidate must be a citizen of the United States, a resident taxpayer of the district who has lived in Missouri for one year preceding the election, and at least 24 years of age.

Candidates for municipal offices may file at the city clerk's office.