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NewsDecember 16, 2006

CAIRO, Ill. -- Seven candidates have filed to become the mayor of Cairo, which has been politically paralyzed for much of the last four years by a feud between incumbent Paul Farris and the city council. Farris was among the first to file, as was one of his chief antagonists on the council, Bobby Whitaker. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Seven candidates have filed to become the mayor of Cairo, which has been politically paralyzed for much of the last four years by a feud between incumbent Paul Farris and the city council.

Farris was among the first to file, as was one of his chief antagonists on the council, Bobby Whitaker. Along with a mayor, Cairo residents will also elect a complete six-person city council next year. As of Friday, 16 candidates had filed for the council seats, but only one incumbent, Sandra Tarver, had submitted a petition for another term.

Farris said Friday he has not recruited candidates to challenge current council members. But the large number of candidates, he said, shows that his time in office has generated a renewed interest in city government and the election holds the opportunity to end the four-year fight.

"These are a lot of good people who have signed up to run and they have the best interests of Cairo at heart," Farris said. "In these four years, I have opened the door of city government to the public, so even if I lose, I have won."

Farris' tenure has been marked by numerous lawsuits pitting him against several council members, as well as meetings that devolve into arguments over which side is being more disrespectful of the other. In the past year, the acrimony escalated after four council members announced they rejected Farris' leadership and would not attend regular council meetings. Their action against Farris lasted only one meeting, but he responded by stopping the paychecks for the four and dropping them from the city's health insurance and retirement plans.

Whitaker, one of Farris' most vocal critics, has called him a "dictator" and said Farris isn't interested in doing anything he can't control. "He doesn't want you to question it, and it just doesn't work that way. It is not the right way to do things."

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Along with Farris and Whitaker, the other candidates for mayor are Lonnie L. Burris, Judson Childs, Karl Klein, Joe Griggs and Esley Cornelius.

Two council incumbents, Linda Jackson and Elbert "Bo" Purchase, picked up the paperwork necessary to file for another term but have not done so, city clerk Erica Wells said. Two other incumbents, Carolyn Ponting and at-large councilman Joseph Thurston, have not picked up paperwork, she said.

To win a seat, candidates must be first or second in a primary that will be held Feb. 27. The finalists from the primary will face off in a city general election April 17.

Filing ends at 4 p.m. Monday. Any candidates must submit a petition signed by 16 city voters, a statement disclosing their economic interests and a notarized statement of candidacy, Wells said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

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