Mayoral, Ward 2 races to require primary

Cape Girardeau voters will cast ballots in a Feb. 2 primary election for mayor and the Ward 2 city council seat.

Filing closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday for the 2010 municipal elections. There were no late surprises and only one candidate, Jim Blakemore in Ward 2, turned in nominating petitions on the last day, city clerk Gayle Conrad said.

In all, 10 people put their names forward for four seats. No primary will be necessary in Ward 1, where tax accountant Teresa Robinson is the only challenger to incumbent Councilman John Voss, or in Ward 6, where business owner Kathy Swan was the only candidate to file to replace outgoing incumbent Marcia Ritter.

The general election will be held April 6.

The city charter requires a primary when more than two candidates file for an office. For mayor, the Monday entry of retired businessman Harry Rediger into the contest forced the primary. Former Ward 5 councilman Matt Hopkins and businessman Walter White entered the race soon after filing opened Oct. 20.

In Ward 2, which covers much of downtown and southeast Cape Girardeau, four candidates are offering themselves. Don Howard, a medical technician, and Meg Davis, an advertising saleswoman, were the first to file. Stafford Moore filed Friday and Blakemore rounded out the contest.

The mayor's office, Ward 2 and Ward 6 are open seats in 2010 due to term limits. Mayor Jay Knudtson, Ward 1 Councilman Charlie Herbst and Ritter are barred from seeking additional terms. Herbst considered a bid for mayor earlier this year but declined to run.

Ward 1 will offer the only contest that pits an incumbent against a challenger. Voss is seeking his second term. Robinson has not run for office previously. Ward 1 includes the portions of the city east of Old Sprigg Street Road and north of North Street.

Cape Girardeau is the only municipality in the county that conducts primary elections in advance of the non-partisan municipal elections April 6. Filing for offices in municipalities and for school board seats available next year will commence in mid-December and end in January.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.