FEW CANDIDATES INTERESTED IN CHAFFEE SEATS

CHAFFEE -- After watching some bumpy years in city government, Chaffee voters apparently aren't anxious to serve as council members.

In both Wards 2 and 4, no candidates have filed for office. Write-in candidates may win in those wards. If the write-ins don't accept or if there aren't any names written, Mayor Bill Cannon will have to appoint two people with council approval.

In two other wards, the incumbents are running unopposed.

One is Ward 1 Councilman Jerry Wolsey, owner of Wolsey Investigative Services. A councilman since 1990, this is his first unopposed election.

Wolsey said his concern about the community and its future has kept him on the council.

He and his wife, Debra, have two sons. The younger Jerry Wolsey is attending Jefferson Junior College in Hillsboro and will attend Southeast Missouri State University on a baseball scholarship in the fall. Jimmy Wolsey is a senior at Chaffee High School.

Ward 3 Councilman Ron Eskew, also running unopposed, filled out a former councilman's term in 1993 and was re-elected to office in 1994. He and his wife, Janae, have two sons, Chase, 12, and Rynn, 7.

Eskew said his goal is to see Chaffee City Hall completely automated before he leaves office. He currently is working with Chaffee Public Schools and the Park Board to develop better baseball fields for the community.

The councilman has been employed by Southeast Missouri State University for 15 years in the student receivables department.

Incumbent John Hampton was appointed to fill out an unexpired term and now is running to keep the Ward III seat.

Hampton is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and returned to his hometown of Chaffee three years ago. He said he was concerned about the bickering he saw in city government.

"I came back, sat in on a couple of meetings, and felt I could give my service to help improve things," Hampton said. "I can look at issues in a different way."

He and his wife, Jeannette, have three children, Athena, 16, Sean, 13, and Susan, 11. Hampton is employed by the Postal Service.

His challenger is Norm Gribler, a former city building inspector now self-employed in the construction business. Gribler and his wife, Carol, have two grown children. He said his main concern is an approaching shortage of jobs in Chaffee.

"With Thorngate closing and other problems, we will be hit hard," Gribler said. "We have to find some sort of alternatives."

He is the only non-incumbent running.

The election is Tuesday.