RICKARD EDGES BALLOU IN COUNCIL RACE

After meeting his Ward 3 Cape Girardeau City Council opponent for the first time last Saturday, Jack Rickard had an uneasy feeling about the outcome of Tuesday's election.

"I told Mike Ballou I would wish him luck if I had any to spare, but I didn't think I had any left," quipped Rickard, whose pre-election anxieties proved accurate. Rickard narrowly defeated Ballou 468 to 433 to secure the seventh and final city council seat.

The Ward 3 seat was vacated by Al Spradling III when he was elected mayor in the spring.

"That is a pretty slim margin," said Rickard Tuesday night. "I really expected more of a turnout, but right now I'm just glad to have a chance to represent my ward and work for the city I care a great deal about. I'll do my best, but I don't intend to make a career out of this."

Just 1,142 voters cast ballots in the Ward 3 district.

Rickard, 65, has been a brick contractor for over 25 years. He has strong feelings about minimum property standards and will voice his opinion once the opportunity arises.

"There will be people who will disagree with some of the things I have to say, but that won't keep me from telling what I think," he said.

Rickard said he would be sensitive to the needs and concerns of those in his ward. "I'll definitely check things out," he said. "I'll be behind as far as city council procedure goes, but I'll just have to work hard to catch up."

The long-time Cape Girardeau native believes in giving area residents a shot at jobs advertised outside the city limits. "I just think we should give employees a chance to be promoted from within," he said. "That doesn't mean I'm against bringing in somebody from out of town, but we should try to give people who live here a chance at the same job if that person is qualified."