Today is filing deadline for school board candidates

Filing for school board seats ends today. But voters already are faced with deciding contested races for school board in the Jackson and Cape Girardeau school districts.

In Jackson, four people have filed for the two seats including incumbent Gerald Adams. The latest candidate to file is Brian Dameron, a mechanical engineer.

Dameron, who works for Langford Mechanical and Sheet Metal Inc. in Jackson, said Monday he believes his professional experience could serve him well on the school board.

The Jackson School District is proceeding with major renovations and new construction on the high school campus.

"They are doing a lot of construction and spending a lot of dollars in the area. I would like to see that [it] gets well spent," Dameron said.

He said he's also running because he has two young children. Dameron said he has a 3-year-old daughter who attends the district's preschool program twice a week. He also has a 15-month-old son.

Dameron said it's his first run for political office.

The other two candidates are Dan Stover of Jackson, a retired teacher who now operates an auction service; and Marc Harris, a Jackson insurance agent.

Harris said Monday that he's interested in serving on the school board because he has three children, a son who is in high school, another son in first grade and a 3-year-old daughter.

"Jackson has a proud tradition regarding its school system. I would just like to be a part of that," he said.

"I don't know that the school is the biggest focal point in our city, but it surely is one of the main attractions for Jackson," he said.

Board member Jim Woeltje has announced he won't seek re-election, assuring that the board will have at least one new member after the April 3 election.

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education also will have at least one new member. Board member Tim Arbeiter announced last month that he won't seek re-election. He said he won't have the time to serve on the board again because of family commitments.

Incumbent Laura Sparkman has filed for a second, three-year term. Also running are Paul Nenninger, a Cape Girardeau native who retired from the U.S. Secret Service, and resident Don Howard Jr.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123