SCHOOL BOARD RACES SET AS FILINGS CLOSE

What a difference a day makes.

In some instances, 24 hours made the difference between not enough candidates to fill available positions and a bona fide race for seats on school boards in some Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Scott county school districts.

Each school board had at least two three-year terms expiring on April 1. However, candidates were slow to throw their hats in the ring, and four school districts found themselves with only one candidate as of Monday afternoon. Scott City, Woodland, Leopold and Kelso school districts had seven candidates file on the final day, assuring them of at least enough candidates to fill available positions.

An additional nine candidates filed in other districts on Tuesday by the 5 p.m. deadline, bringing the total number of those filing Tuesday to 16.

"We didn't expect the two today to file; now we have a race," Delta Superintendent Larry Beshears said at approximately 4:15 p.m. One other candidate, T. L Nussbaum, added his name to the list in the final 45 minutes.

The Cape Girardeau, Kelly, Oran, Scott County Central and Zalma districts had no new filers on Tuesday. Of this group, only Kelly and Scott County Central will not have a race on April 1. Only Scott Sanders and Tom Beardslee filed in Kelly, and Scott County Central's only candidates will be Tim McIntyre and Kenneth Rodgers.

Leopold candidates Gary Vandeven and Tuesday filer Joe Bohnsack will also be new board members after April 1.

The race for the two seats in Cape Girardeau will be between incumbent Dr. Robert Fox, Bill Benefield, David Goncher and Steve Brazil. Thomas Ludwig, incumbent Jack Knowlan, Wendy Hayes and Gerald Adams will vie for positions in Jackson.

Tom Urhahn, Rosalia Friga and Tony Wagoner will face off in Oran, while Zalma residents may choose two from a field of four, including incumbent Dale Fish, Richard Kline, Steve Dickinson and Bruce Huffman.

Incumbent Charlie Roberts is a newcomer to the field of candidates in the Nell Holcomb race. He joins incumbent Dwayne Kirchoff and Darrin Pruitt. Darrell Hahs is the fresh face in the Oak Ridge school board race, joining incumbents Steve Schonhoff and Richard Baer.

In Bollinger County, Meadow Heights incumbents Phyllis Bollinger and Roy Allen will have competition from Terry Propst, Gregory Ellis and James Johnson. County neighbor Woodland had two Tuesday filers: Bill Rhodes and incumbent Steve Upchurch. The two will campaign along with incumbent Doug Lindley for school board positions.

Kelso and Scott City also had two filers apiece Tuesday, bringing their total number of candidates to three for each district. Lisa Ellison and Rick Sample joined Nancy Caldwell in the Scott City races, and Randy Kern and Chuck Goodale added their names with Robin Burger's in Kelso elections.

Chaffee still topped all districts with a whopping five candidates running for the two regular terms and three other candidates running for the unexpired two-year term of Wayne Pressley that became available Dec. 1. Running for the three-year terms are Danny Finley, Kathy Kinsey, Debbie Patterson, Alvin Vandeven and Scott Wachter. Competing for the two-year unexpired term are Candace Witcher, Linda Wessel and Joan Hooker.

The next move in the election process belongs to district administrators. They are required to turn in an official ballot with all candidates' names to the county clerk's office by Jan. 21.