PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR WILL RETAIN CASES INTO NEXT YEAR

JACKSON, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau County Public Administrator John Ferguson lost his re-election bid in the August Republican primary, but that won't keep him from handling the fiscal affairs of his clients in 2001.

Ferguson will continue to handle more than 100 guardian and conservator cases and collect fees on them until the anniversary date of each case rolls around. Clients even can ask the judge to allow Ferguson to continue to handle their fiscal affairs.

The public administrator is assigned by the circuit court to handle the financial and personal affairs of disabled, incapacitated and deceased adults and cases involving minors.

In the primary election, Ferguson lost to Phyllis Schwab of Jackson, who went on to defeat Mike Hurst in the November general election.

Schwab initially will have few cases to manage.

Schwab has elected to receive a salary rather than be paid in fees. The fees in cases she handles will go to the county government to help offset her salary.

But County Auditor H. Weldon Macke said he expects the county would do well to recover 50 percent of her $42,458 salary this first year given the fact that she'll handle relatively few cases at the start of the year.

Schwab said she plans to operate out of her home, with the county footing the bill for some office equipment. The county currently has no office space for public administrator.

"I am trying to make it as easy as I can on the county," she said.