RICKARD DROPS HAT IN RING FOR WARD 3 CITY COUNCIL SEAT

When Jack Rickard failed to convince a few friends to run for the Cape Girardeau Ward 3 City Council seat, he decided to work to put his own name on the ballot.

"I tried to get some other people to run for it, but now that I've decided to run, I'm glad I did," said Rickard, who will oppose Michael Ballou in an Aug. 2 general election.

Thursday was the last day citizens were allowed to file a petition to run for the Ward 3 city council seat. Residents of Ward 3 will go to the normal polling places to vote for their city council representative.

"I'm glad this will be a general election in August because I think November is too long to wait to fill the final city council seat," said Rickard.

A self-employed brick contractor for over 25 years, Rickard believes his background will be a plus when the city council considers such issues as licensing of electricians and other contractors.

"I would be the only one on the city council with that kind of a background, plus I have rental property," said Rickard, mindful of the minimum property standards now being reviewed by a newly formed committee.

Rickard was initially against the ward system but changed his mind when the time came to vote on it. "In the beginning I didn't think it was a good thing, but after considering how it works I changed my mind and voted for it," said Rickard.

After notifying friends and neighbors that he would be running for the Ward 3 city council seat, Rickard already has received requests to look into various issues.

"I think the ward system is a good thing because it gives people a feeling like they can get things done," he said. One issue that has bothered Rickard for some time is residents being billed by the city for pavement adjacent to their property without advance notification.

"That's happened to me before and I've heard of other people saying it happened to them," he said. "It's just something I want to look into and find out why it happens."

The only other office Rickard has ran for was county commissioner some 14 years ago. "I lost out in the primary, but the man who ended up winning (Gene Huckstep) took care of the problem I planned on looking into so I was happy about that," said Rickard.

Rickard said he has no plans to pursue a lengthy career as a city council member if he is elected. "I'm going to be 65 in 10 days, so I'm not planning on making this a long-term thing," he said. "I just want to see if I can do some good for the ward I'm in and the city as a whole."

Ballou, 45, is a promotional director for radio station KWOC in Herrin, Ill. He has worked for KKLR in Poplar Bluff as well as EZ-103 and Y-105 in Cape. He earned a bachelor of science degree in radio and television from SIU-Carbondale and has a minor in advertising. He has been in radio and television since 1974.

Ballou, who is a resident of 409 North Louisiana, decided to run for the Ward 3 city council seat at the behest of citizens who saw him appear before the council to amend a parking ordinance.

"I'm a firm believer in the ward system and feel I can get some things done both in my ward and throughout the city," said Ballou, who was successful in his bid to get the city to amend the no-parking ordinances on North Louisiana.

"I'd like to see us make Cape Girardeau an attractive place for new industry to come in," he said. Ballou said he is interested in issues concerning the Cape Police and Fire Departments.

"I believe the ward system is better than the at-large system," said Ballou. "Citizens can voice their concerns to the councilman in their ward and things will get done a lot faster than they did in the past. If someone feels we need a stop sign near Franklin School, I'll go there and look at it and report it at the next council meeting."