JACKSON VOTERS FACE CONTESTS

Editor's note: The following article provides a brief preview of the race for mayor and three aldermanic seats at Jackson Tuesday. Photographs of the four challengers were inadvertently omitted from an article in Sunday's edition and are published today. Photos of the incumbents accompanied an article about the election in Saturday's edition.

JACKSON -- Voters in Jackson Tuesday will elect a mayor and three aldermen.

Mayor Paul Sander faces a challenge by Scott Lipke. In Board of Aldermen races, Ward 1 Alderman David Hitt is challenged by Don Harris, Ward 2 Alderman Kerry Hoffman is challenged by Richard Rushin and Ward 3 Alderwoman Valerie Tuschoff is challenged by Chris Bowen. Ward 4 Alderman Larry Hall is unopposed.

Sander is running for his fourth term as mayor. Lipke, an attorney and former assistant county prosecutor, is making his first bid for public office.

Sander has presided over a period of growth in Jackson and has taken part in decisions that have been unpopular with some of the city's developers. He said that all the board's decisions "have been made in the best interests of the citizens of Jackson."

Lipke said he will offer a new development plan for the city during his first year in office. He said the entire community will be asked to help draft the blueprint for growth, and he will hold a yearlong series of town meetings "to build Jackson's future from the ground up."

In Ward 1, Hitt said the city needs to concentrate on fixing water supply problems. First-time candidate Harris, a businessman and developer, claims the city handles some developers differently from others. He also said the city needs a long-term plan to provide adequate water and sanitation systems.

In Ward 2, Hoffman, who has been on the board since 1995, thinks the most important issue is "that we continue positive planning for Jackson." He said: "We've had residential and commercial growth. The potential for industrial growth is just around the corner."

Rushin, a former lieutenant with the Jackson Police Department and now an insurance investigator, says he wants to help guide the city's growth into the next century. "I think it's a great community to live in, and I want to have a hand in that," said Rushin, who is running for office for the first time.

In Ward 3, Bowen, who is making his first run for public office, has criticized the city's acquisition of a 60-acre industrial tract along Highway 61 North, claiming the purchase price of nearly $1 million was at least double the amount the land was worth. City officials dispute his calculations. Bowen, vice president of Bowen Engineering, also has questioned the quality of inspection services in the city.

Tuschoff said city inspectors have done a good job in a time of "tremendous residential and business expansion." Tuschoff said, "It takes experience and dedicated leadership to balance this growth with our present values." Tuschoff has been on the board for eight years.