STODDARD COUNTY MAY STAY HOME

BLOOMFIELD -- Super Tuesday might not be so super after all. At least not for Missouri and Stoddad County.

As more hopefuls file for county government offices on this autumn's ballot, the attention of County Clerk Don White and his counterparts throughout the state is being focused on Tuesday's presidential primary vote.

What White sees is not reassuring -- little interest is being expressed by the county's voters in Missouri's first presidential primary since 1988.

One indicator of the voters' interest in a particular election is the number of absentee ballots filed. What the county clerk sees this year is a greater interest in the Dexter mayoral race -- still a month away -- than the presidential primary. As of early this week, about 40 absentee ballots had been filed in the six-way race for the Dexter mayor's office while only about half that many had been filed for the March 7 presidential primary.

While Secretary of State Bekki Cook is projecting a respectable turnout statewide Tuesday, White is less optimistic about voter participation in Stoddard County.

Apparently interest continues to build in the several county government offices on this year's ballot. Two more filed Thursday for one of the associate commissioner's offices.

Republicans Grady Smith and Elam "Sonny" Newsom, both of Puxico, filed for the Aug. 8 GOP primary. After two days of filing, incumbent Frank Sifford of Bloomfield was the only Democrat to file for the office.

As the first week of filing came to a close, several offices had attracted the following candidates:

* District 2 Associate Commissioner. Democrats: Incumbent Ray Coats of Bernie, Pam Dowdy of Dexter, Gaylon Lillard, Charlie Parrish of Dexter. Republican: Truman (Butch) Waldrup of Dexter.

* Sheriff. Democrats: Incumbent Steve Fish of Dexter, Rick Stanfield of Dexter. Republican: Bill Stroup of Dexter.

* Public Administrator. Democrats: Teresa Driskill of Dexter, Jackie Gilles of Dexter, Duane Kiirby, Brenda K. (Sugar Plum) Wilson of Bloomfield.

* Treasurer. Democrats: Incumbent Shirley Carney of Dexter, Jim Long Sr. of Dexter, Carla Knowles Moore of Bloomfield.

* Assessor. Democrat: Incumbent Jody Lemmon of Dexter.

* Coroner. Democrat: Incumbent Greg Mathis of Dexter.

Filing for county government offices will continue through March 28.