Tracy re-elected as presiding commissioner in Cape County

Cape Girardeau County's roster of elected officials will remain solidly Republican, voters decided Tuesday.

Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy took 76 percent of the vote, easily defeating Pat Wissman, a Democrat. Wissman, who received 23 percent of the vote, was the only Democrat to file for any Cape Girardeau County office this year, and the race for presiding commissioner was the only county-level race on the ballot in Tuesday's election. Several others were determined with the August primary, or not contested.

Tracy's re-election means every county officeholder is a Republican, as has been the case since Jerry Reynolds, a Democrat and the county's longtime assessor, retired in 2013.

"I want to thank the voters for having the confidence in me to return me to office," Tracy said Tuesday night. "I feel like I've worked hard for the county for the last four years and will continue to do that."

During Tracy's time in office, the county has developed a long-range facilities plan and refinanced jail bonds to pay for upgrades to current facilities.

Wissman has sought the office before -- in 2010 he also ran against Tracy, who won a six-way Republican primary to get on the ballot and won in a landslide. Before being elected presiding commissioner, Tracy, a Naval Reserve officer, was a state representative for a former Cape Girardeau district.

Wissman is a retired over-the-road truck owner and operator who has also had unsuccessful bids for seats on the Jackson School Board and Cape Special Road District.

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