School board election continues even though candidate quits race

~ The Cape Girardeau School District must hold the election with two candidates vying for two vacancies.

The Cape Girardeau School District must hold a school board election in April even though only two candidates are running for the two seats, school and local elections officials said Thursday.

In a brief letter he personally delivered to the school district central office, Don Howard Jr. withdrew his candidacy Wednesday, the day after the filing period closed for the April 3 election.

Reached at home late Thursday afternoon, Howard said he quit the race because of work commitments; he recently took a factory job with Spartech Plastics in Cape Girardeau. "It requires me to work more hours," he said.

"I am sorry I couldn't run," he said. "My heart was in it.

Legislative attention

State Rep. Nathan Cooper said he will look at introducing legislation to amend the state law so school districts won't have to hold elections if such situations arise in the future.

Under state law, a school district doesn't have to hold an election when the number of candidates equals the number of positions to be filled on the board.

"The intent is to save local jurisdictions money from having elections where there is no contested race," Cooper said.

But local election officials said that doesn't apply in this case.

Under the same state law, if more candidates file for office than seats available, an election must be held even if a candidate or candidates subsequently withdraw from the race, said Cape Girardeau County elections supervisor Patty Schlosser.

She said she checked with election officials at the Missouri secretary of state's office before advising the school district of the situation.

Incumbent Laura Sparkman and Paul Nenninger, a retired U.S. Secret Service agent, now are the only candidates running for the two school board seats.

Even though their election seems certain, schools superintendent Dr. David Scala said the school district will have to pay for the cost of an election.

Schlosser estimated that the election could cost $15,000 to $17,000.

Scala said lawmakers need to look at revising the law.

Cooper, who serves on the elections committee in the Missouri House, said new issues come up with state election laws regularly. "Every year it seems there is another variation that arises that needs a tweaking of the law," he said.

Scala said Howard's action occurred before school officials had even submitted the names of the candidates to the county clerk's office in preparation for the printing of the ballots.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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