Mayor Norman Brant, former mayor Ron Cummins face off in April election

Scott City voters will decide Tuesday whether to keep Norman Brant as mayor or return former mayor Ron Cummins to the position he vacated.

The winner will serve the remaining two years of the unexpired term created when Cummins, who was elected mayor in 2016, resigned last August amid allegations he abused his position.

A third mayoral candidate, Robert Foulk, dropped out of the race in January because he did not meet the residency requirement. Foulk, in a notarized statement, said he did not meet the requirement a candidate must have lived in Scott City at least two years preceding the April election.

Cummins, 53, said, if elected, his top priority is for the city to clean out drainage ditches "so the water has some place to go."

Cummins, who owns a pool company, said he is proud of the job he did previously as mayor.

Among other things, he said under his administration, the city's public works department began doing more of the work itself instead of contracting out the projects.

Sewer lift stations were upgraded, Cummins said.

"More work is being done by our city public works department," he said, adding there have been improvements made to the city's sewer system.

Brant, the current mayor, said the city has been working to improve drainage. "We are updating our treatment plant," he said.

Brant, 65, said he is working with the police and fire departments to update radio communication equipment on the police cars and fire trucks, along with updating the city's dispatching system.

Other improvements include the purchase of a building near the city's ballpark for storage of parks department equipment and a partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation to construct a trail.

Cummins, when he filed for mayor in December, said he wanted to return to office to address the "misuse of credit cards" within city government.

During his time as mayor, Cummins was critical of financial practices of city government. "I suspected, and it turned out to be true, that money of taxpayers was being used for personal purchases" by some city employees, he said.

Brant, who has served on the council over 30 years although not all consecutively, agrees there was misuse of city credit cards, but said the city now has in place good financial procedures to prevent future misuse. "We do have a checks-and-balance thing in place," he said.

The city, during Cummins' time as mayor, hired a forensic accounting firm to review city expenditures and detail any improper sending.

"I just want to know the truth," said Cummins.

Cummins said he wants the city to use purchase orders rather than charge items on credit cards.

Brant, 65, said the city uses both purchase orders and credit cards with a local bank, but noted all purchases are reviewed by city administrator Doug Richards.

The mayor said the forensic accounting report should be completed soon. He said that, if possible, he wants to review the findings in open session at a council meeting. "This is the people's money, and they need to know how it was spent in the past," he said.

Brant worked for Supervalu, a grocery distribution center in Scott City, for 28 years before it closed. He then worked for the Scott County Highway Department, retiring in 2017.

Brant said he has the time to be mayor. "I am retired, and every day I work with the different departments to try to make the city better."

mbliss@semissourian.com

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