FORMER CHAIR OF DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE EYES DENNIS SEAT; LEA CONSIDERING RACE FOR SENATE

A former chairman of the Missouri Democratic State Committee said Thursday he is considering running next year for the state senate seat now held by retiring state Sen. John Dennis, D-Benton.

The former chairman, Pat Lea of Caruthersville said of his possible candidacy, "I am seriously considering it."

Lea added, "People are calling me and I'm calling some different people to see if they have a candidate."

He plans to decide by Oct. 1.

Dennis recently announced that he would not seek re-election to a fifth term in the Senate next year.

The 62-year-old Lea said if he decides to run for the 27th Senate district seat, he will have to move into the district prior to Jan. 1.

The district currently comprises Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott, New Madrid and Mississippi counties. Lea lives in Pemiscot County.

"You have to live in the district for one year before you can serve," said Lea. He said that whoever is elected senator in November 1992 won't take office until January 1993.

He said as long as he moves into the district by the end of this year, he would meet the one-year requirement, assuming he wins, by the time he would take office.

Although he has been involved in politics previously as a state party official, Lea said the senate seat would be his first political race as a candidate, assuming he decides to run.

Not surprisingly, Lea said he "probably will" run as a Democratic candidate if he decides to seek the Senate seat. But he maintained he could draw support from both Democratic and Republican voters.

If he does run, Lea expects competition. He predicted there will be a race for the Senate seat in both parties.

Lea said he views the job of state senator as an important one. "That to me is a very responsible position and I think our state needs good leadership in that position."

The former banker said he is "interested in education" and voiced support for Proposition B, a tax-hike-for-education measure on the November ballot.

"I think the university (Southeast Missouri State) is probably our foremost asset (in the region)," said Lea. "I'm real high on it."

The thought of campaigning appeals to Lea, who said it would be "fun being a candidate."

Lea has not been involved in political campaigns for a number of years, something he said he misses.

Lea was a Sikeston banker and a past president of the Missouri Bankers Association in the early 1980s when he was selected as chairman of the Missouri Democratic State Committee. He served as party chairman from 1982 through 1984, when he resigned to accept a position with two Arkansas banks.

In November 1987, he returned to Missouri as president of the National Bank of Caruthersville.

Lea said he at one time served as president of both that bank and the First Security State Bank of Charleston. But he later left those positions. Lea said that for the past 15 to 16 months he has been working as a financial consultant for corporations and individuals.