FILING OPENS TUESDAY FOR CITY COUNCIL ELECTION

You never know who you might meet while going door to door to gather signatures on a petition for city council office. Sometimes it's your opposition.

Ken Lipps and Ray Primonato are both seeking a seat on the Cape Girardeau City Council representing Ward 4. The two met last week while collecting signatures for their respective petitions.

In all, six men have picked up petitions from City Hall for three open seats on the Cape Girardeau City Council. Filing opens Tuesday and will remain open until Nov. 23. Petitions must include the signatures of at least 50 registered voters eligible to vote in the election.

Three seats are up for election in April 2000: Ward 3, Ward 4 and Ward 5.

Dr. Melvin Kasten and Melvin Gateley, who hold seats in Wards 4 and 5, respectively, cannot run for office again because of term limits. Both were elected to office in 1992 and again in 1996.

Councilman Jay Purcell, who represents Ward 3, has said he will seek re-election. He was first elected in 1998 to fill an unexpired term in his ward.

He was out Sunday evening collecting signatures on his petition and visiting with his constituents. This will be his third bid for office. He ran once and was defeated and then was elected to fill his current term.

While walking along Meadow Lane Sunday, in what should have taken about an hour, Purcell said he only got to three houses in 30 minutes because residents wanted to invite him in to talk.

Meadow Lane is slated for a sewer project if a bond measure is approved by voters, so residents had questions, Purcell said. "It's a good thing, you can learn a lot."

Purcell said his past election experiences have been good, and he plans to work hard for re-election. "I have to have the 50 signatures to get my name back on a ballot, but I intend to go to every house in the ward," he said.

He has taken a day off work Tuesday -- the first day petitions can be returned to City Hall -- to file for office.

Jon L. Holman of 1423 Luce No. 4 isn't sure yet if he's going to turn in his nominating petition for city council. He picked it up almost as a dare from buddies at the VFW Hall.

If he does turn in the petition, Holman will face the only incumbent in the 2000 election.

"I'm not really sure," Holman said when asked if he would consider running for office. "It sounds like a lot of work."

Although he's still uncertain, Holman did say he had gathered 15 signatures from friends at the VFW who live in his ward.

In Ward 4, it's a wonder the two potential candidates didn't cross paths while picking up the nominating petitions from City Hall. Both picked up the petition on Oct. 4 -- the first day petitions were available -- within 40 minutes of one another.

Ken Lipps lives at 1927 Sherwood, but is moving to another house in the ward within a week or two. Ray Primonato lives at 1807 Northbridge.

Lipps knocked on Primonato's door while gathering signatures. "He was a very nice man who lives about two blocks up the street," Lipps said.

The two men talked and "he was very amicable," Lipps said. "I'm sure he'd do as good a job as anybody, but I wouldn't be running if I didn't think I could do one, too."

Primonato said he's not seeking office to make any great changes in the city, but he feels it's his duty.

"I've gained roots and think I need to help out," he said. Primonato has lived in Cape Girardeau for nine years.

Originally, he thought about serving on an advisory board for the city, but decided instead to seek a council seat since the seat was coming open because of term limits, he said.

Primonato admitted that he doesn't know the intricacies of how everything happens in city government. He's only aware of what he reads in the newspaper or sees on television.

But Primonato has lived by a few golden rules in life. People can't really complain unless they are willing to do something about it, he said. Now he's ready to do something. "It's just my blood, sweat and tears."

Lipps also has Cape Girardeau roots. He has lived in the city all but 14 of his nearly 60 years, he said. "I want to contribute to the community," he said.

Neither man is completed filling their petition, but both said that gathering names has been a nice way to meet neighbors and people they hope to represent.

Lawrence Godfrey of 1732 Rampart hasn't even started gathering signatures for his petition. But he doesn't expect it to be much work, either.

"It's fun to go out and meet people," he said. "You really get to know a lot of your neighbors."

Godfrey is seeking to represent Ward 5 on the council. He has run for office three other times but was defeated.

He has lived in Cape Girardeau since 1962. There aren't any major changes he thinks the city needs, so that isn't the impetus for seeking public office. "Sometimes you just have to serve the people," he said.

Godfrey helped spearhead a petition drive in 1992 that set out to change the city's charter and adopt a ward system. The amendments were approved. At the time, Godfrey said the wards or zone representation was "more democratic" than an at-large election.

Jeff Glenn also is gathering signatures for his nominating petition in Ward 5. Glenn lives at 210 N. Pindwood Lane.

He has lived in the city since 1995 and is employed at Southeast Missouri State University at a marketing assistant in recreational sports. He previously worked for Perryville as the marketing director for the Parks and Recreation department.

Who's thinking about running

As of Friday afternoon, six men had picked up nominating petitions for seats on the Cape Girardeau City Council. Each council member is elected to a four-year term.

Ward 3

Jay Purcell, incumbent

315 N. Pacific St.

Jon L. Holman

1423 Luce St., #4

Ward 4

Ken Lipps

1927 Sherwood

Ray Primonato

1807 Northbridge

Ward 5

Jeff Glenn

210 N. Pindwood Lane

Lawrence Godfrey

1732 Rampart