RACE IS BREWING IN CHAFFEE

CHAFFEE - A race is in the works for the Ward 1 Chaffee City Council seat.

Edward N. "Cotton" Sadler, of 126 Cook, filed for the council Thursday, Chaffee City Clerk Diane Eftink said.

At stake is the seat of Councilman Jerry Wolsey. Wolsey filed Tuesday for re-election to a second term.

In addition to Wolsey, seats up for election include the Ward 2 seat held by Irmgard Chronister, the Ward 3 seat of Ron Eskew, and the Ward 4 seat of Brad Bader. All with the exception of Chronister have filed for re-election.

The seats carry two-year terms. The last day to file is Feb. 4.

A 64-year-old retired construction worker, Sadler said he filed for the Ward 1 seat because he's always wanted to serve on the council.

"I'm going to be 65, and I think I better do it pretty soon. I've got time for it now too," he said.

"As far as I know, the man there (now) is doing a fine job. It's just the chance to run. I've thought about it a lot and it just hit me today, and I decided I would file."

He turns 65 next month, he said.

"I would just like to do whatever I can for the community," said Salder. "We need more jobs down here and things like that, but one man isn't going to get all that accomplished. Anything you do takes cooperation."

Sadler said he's never filed for the council before or served on any other boards. But he feels he'd be a good council member because, "I've got the time and I think I could apply myself."

Sadler was born in Chaffee in 1927. In the early 1980s he moved away for several years. He and his wife, Maureen, returned in 1985.

His wife works at Columbia Sportswear in Chaffee, he said. The couple has six grown children.