JACKSON RACES LACK OPPOSITION FOR BOARD

JACKSON -- The last time it happened was in 1992.

Four Jackson aldermen -- David Ludwig, Philip Johnston, Glenn Oldham and Lee Roy Brown -- ran unopposed for re-election to the board.

Since then, there have been only a few hotly contested races. In one, Paul Sander took 57 percent of the vote in 1993, beating out 11-term mayor Carlton "Cotton" Meyer. Both candidates got out to shake hands and convince voters of their qualifications.

On April 4, unless an incredibly popular write-in candidate emerges, Sander will be re-elected with no opposition.

"This is certainly a lot more comfortable," he said.

His sentiments were echoed by the four aldermen who are running unopposed: David Hitt, Val Tuschhoff, Jack Piepenbrok and Kevin Sawyer. City Collector Beverly Nelson has a competitor-free race to run, too.

So, are the people of Jackson happy or just too apathetic?

Community leaders say it's a little of both.

Gene Mackey, who owns Century 21 Dutch Realty in Jackson, said people usually run for office when they are dissatisfied with how business is being conducted. He wasn't ready to attribute all the lack of interest to satisfaction and referred to a recent school board candidate's forum that attracted only 30 people.

However, Mackey has lived in Jackson for 20 years and said it would take a lot to get him to move.

Jim Sander, who owns Sander's True Value Hardware Store, echoed his fellow merchant's sentiments. In his 30 years of business here, he has grown to love Jackson and especially its city parks.

"Right now there aren't any big problems causing any tension or making people want change," Jim Sander, a distant relative of Mayor Paul Sander, said. "Look how long Cotton Meyer was mayor. People around here just don't want big, overnight changes."

Judy Leist is active in community events and co-owns The Way Bookstore. She is of the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" philosophy and said she had confidence in all the aldermen running for re-election.

Patty Reisenbichler, executive secretary for the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, had perhaps the most unique outlook. She said most people don't want to run for office and listen to everyone's complaints.

"The city council member's job is one of those thankless things," Reisenbichler said. "There are probably a lot of people who wouldn't want to do it."

She added that she was pleased with her Ward IV Alderman Jack Piepenbrok.

None of the candidates interviewed said they were doing any campaigning -- campaign platforms are tough to come by in uncontested races.

But they said they wanted to help make sure Jackson's incredible growth was orderly and the city's infrastructure expanded.

Mayor Sander added, while citizens may not be happy with every board decision, they can at least be sure they had a say in the outcome and were treated fairly.

"There seems to be a sense of calm and confidence in our city government and school system," he said.