Filing begins next week for local races

For people suffering from withdrawal after the historic 2008 presidential election, another round of political campaigning will begin next week as filing opens for municipal and school board elections that will take place in April.

The annual round of spring elections in Missouri separates local government from partisan politics by barring, in most places, the use of labels such as "Democratic" or "Republican" with a candidate's name. Not all jurisdictions are holding elections. For example, there are no contests in Cape Girardeau, which conducts its city council elections in even-numbered years.

But in Jackson, members of the board of aldermen are on a two-year cycle, and in April voters will select one alderman from each ward and a candidate for the mayor's office. Mayor Barbara Lohr, Ward 1 Alderman Phil Penzel, Ward 2 Alderman David Hitt and Ward 3 Alderman Mark Dambach all said Tuesday they intend to seek another term. Ward 4 Alderman Dale Rauh could not be reached, but his colleagues said they expect him to seek another term.

"I feel good about the things we have been working on and I think I want to try again," said Lohr, who defeated fellow alderman David Reiminger and write-in candidate John Graham in 2007.

In that contest, Graham learned a difficult lesson when he was kicked off the ballot for unpaid property taxes. His lawsuit challenging the state law disqualifying him from the ballot was not successful. A similar problem forced a candidate in Delta off the ballot as well in 2007.

Filing for the election, which will be held April 7, begins on Tuesday and ends Jan. 20. Candidates file at the offices of the political subdivision holding the election. Along with making sure all outstanding property taxes are paid, state law has other limitations on candidates, including a ban on convicted felons running for office. The qualifications for each slot are available at the offices of the political subdivision holding the election.

Along with city offices, school boards are on the April ballot. In most districts, two seats are on the ballot each year. In the Cape Girardeau School District, the two terms up in April are those of Kyle McDonald, school board president and first elected in 2006, and Charles Bertrand, who is seeking his second full term after winning election to a partial term in 2005 and winning again in 2006. McDonald said Tuesday he intends to seek another term.

McDonald has two daughters attending the district, in the second and sixth grades, and he said he sees progress in the past three years. "We have a lot of momentum going," he said. "We have a new superintendent, and we are working toward some pretty substantial goals we want to see attained."

Bertrand, a former school superintendent who was an educator for 29 years, said he is unsure of his plans. Recent actions by the school board to discuss the district's disappointing dropout rate and other accountability measures make him more likely to seek another term, Bertrand said.

"The majority of the board is now saying we have to be accountable for public education, and that has not been the case in the past, in my opinion," Bertrand said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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