Two Chaffee council members enter mayoral race

Two members of the Chaffee City Council have put their names into the race for Chaffee's open mayoral seat after the first two days of filing for the April municipal election.

Current council members Loretta "Rhetta" Mohorc, Ward 2 and Jesse "Jack" Nordin, Ward 4, filed for the position along with Hope Huey, who does not serve on the council.

Mohorc was first elected to the council last year after she defeated incumber Bob Sullivan, a longtime council member.

Nordin won re-election as an incumbent last year.

Mohorc said she had intentions of filing to be the city's next mayor last year when she filed for a seat on the council. Chaffee has had "great past mayors," Mohorc said, but she thinks she can do more with the position.

"I'm a high-energy person, and I feel that I can devote a lot more time to helping the city run more efficiently than the past mayors, because I'm just a busier person," Mohorc said.

Nordin and Huey were unavailable for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Candidates have also filed for three of the four council seats up for election in April: Jaeson Fraser filed for a seat in Ward 1 currently occupied by Wayne Hampton; Doug Sutterfield filed for a seat in Ward 2 currently held by Debbie Eichhorn; and Ronald Moyers filed for a seat in Ward 3 currently held by Bill Dysinger. No one has filed for the seat in Ward 4 held by Tom Cunningham, who currently serves as mayor pro tem following the resignation of former mayor Bill Cannon in October.

Oran aldermen seats open

In Oran four seats on the board of aldermen are up for election: a Ward 1 seat occupied by Ed Evans; a Ward 2 seat occupied by Leroy Eftink; a Ward 3 seat occupied by Brenda Cook; and a Ward 4 seat occupied by Earl Johns. Due to a source error, the Southeast Missourian previously reported that Jimmy Westrich's Ward 3 seat was up for election.

Cook is the only person to have filed for election in Oran so far.

"I just like being able to do what I can for people in my ward," Cook said. "If they have any problems, they know they have somebody they can come to and I'll do what I can. I think we have a good community, and hopefully we've gotten past some bad times and hopefully things will get better."

One person has filed for each of Scott City's council seats up for election: Lori Murrell in Ward 1; LeAnn Wilthong in Ward 2; incumbent Robert Tyler in Ward 3; and incumbent Norman Brant in Ward 4.

msanders@semissourian.com

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