Paul Koeper wins primary for Cape County Commission

Cape Girardeau County District 1 Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper handily defeated challenger Shawn Peetz in the Republican primary Tuesday.

Koeper won 68 percent of the vote in the district, which covers Jackson and the outlying areas. He defeated Peetz by a vote of 4,776 to 2,231, winning every precinct.

Koeper, who has served nearly eight years on the county commission, is assured of a third four-year term, as he will be unopposed in the November election.

He said, “I am thankful for the support I received in the county. I am ready to move ahead.”

Peetz, who operates a family farm outside Jackson and is employed with a hauling and excavating company, previously worked for the Cape Girardeau County highway department. He had contended the county government needs to better maintain the hundreds of miles of gravel roads.

But Koeper, who lives in Jackson and oversees the highway department, insisted the county has made major road improvements over the years.

Koeper also voiced support for building a new “centrally located courthouse” next to the county jail in Jackson. Peetz opposed the plan.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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