Two vie to oppose incumbent commissioner

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A former presiding commissioner who wants his job back and a farmer concerned about a lack of employment opportunities in the county will compete in Tuesday's Republican primary for presiding commissioner of Bollinger County. Both hope to win the right to oppose Democratic incumbent Kenny Trentham in the November general election.

Elwood Mouser was the presiding commissioner of Bollinger County for eight years until losing to Trentham by 19 votes in 1998.

Mouser is a longtime cattle rancher and worked in construction for 20 years. He helped build many of the roads that are so important to isolated Bollinger Countians, he said. "The number one thing here is always roads," he said.

He has been campaigning by talking to people individually. "I know most of the people here," he said.

Wayne Johnson, Mouser's opponent Tuesday, operates a farm between Patton, Mo., and Sedgewickville, Mo., A Meadow Heights school board member for 12 years, Johnson said he has been thinking about running for presiding commissioner for several years. "I'm not a politician. I'm a farmer," he said. "Maybe I'm a farmer who wants to be a politician."

He wants to see the county in good financial condition and to increase employment. "We don't have a lot of jobs available in the county to draw from the tax base," Johnson said.

Trentham is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Five total for circuit clerk

The most crowded race in Tuesday's election is for circuit clerk, with three Republicans and two Democrats running. Republican incumbent Sharon Lutes has drawn opposition from Betsy Ferguson and Dawn Debrock Howard.

Lutes has been the county's circuit clerk and recorder for the past eight years.

Ferguson works in the county collector's office. Debrock Howard formerly worked as a dispatcher for the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department and has five years of experience working in an office.

Cindy Yount and Albert J. Zimmer are the Democratic candidates. Yount is an associate circuit clerk. Zimmer is a farmer who works for the Department of Public Safety at Southeast Missouri State University.

The only other contested race is in the Republican primary for the new office of county recorder. Nonie Cowell and Stephanie Seiler are the candidates.

Bollinger County's circuit clerk previously also was the recorder of deeds, but the legislature voted to allow counties to separate the offices if the county commission chooses.

Cowell has worked in the county assessor's office since 1990. Seiler, a Leopold, Mo., resident, was employed in the county clerk's office for four years.

Winonah (Sissy) Ossig is the only Democratic candidate. She has been a deputy recorder for the past 16 years.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182