WARD 3 FILING SET FOR MAY 3 TO JUNE 2

Candidates for the final Cape Girardeau City Council seat, representing Ward 3, have from May 3 until June 2 to file for the Aug. 2 special election.

The Aug. 2 election will become a primary if more than two persons file for the office, or will be a general election if two or fewer candidates have filed by the deadline. If there is a primary, a general election would follow in November.

Residents of Ward 3 will go to the normal polling places to vote for their city council representative.

Ward 3, previously represented by Al Spradling III, was vacated when Spradling was elected mayor April 5. At a special meeting of the city council April 11, Spradling officially resigned his post.

At Monday's city council meeting a resolution was adopted establishing an election schedule for the Ward 3 council seat.

Spradling indicated since there has been little publicity about the special election, he is not sure how many candidates it will draw. "I really haven't heard anybody saying they were planning to run, but I'm sure part of that has to do with the fact that people have been unaware of the times and dates when they need to file," said Spradling.

"It's a very compact and contiguous ward with a lot of voters in it. You've got Capaha Park, the (Southeast) hospital, part of the university and just a lot of areas that make up the heart of the city," said Spradling. "It should be interesting to see who decides to run."

Petitions for nomination to this seat are available at the office of city manager, 401 Independence, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All petitions must be filed in the office of the city manager.

The city charter provides that any person who meets the following requirements may run for city council: They must be a registered voter of the city, at least 21 years of age, a resident of the city for at least four consecutive years prior to the election and a resident of his or her ward for at least 90 days.

In order to be valid, a petition for nomination to the city council must be signed by at least 50 registered voters of the ward for which the candidate is running.

Ward 3 boundaries begin where the centerline of Normal Avenue intersects the centerline of Pacific Street. It moves south to the centerline of Broadway, west to Harmony and Hanover, south to Themis and west to the centerline of Henderson. The boundaries move south to William Street, west to Kingshighway, north to the westward extension of Peach Tree, east to Cape Rock and northeast to Perryville Road.

The boundaries move southeast to Perry Avenue, then south to Dunklin, east to Missouri, south to Pemiscot and east to North West End Boulevard.

In yet another matter on Monday, the city council elected to appoint a committee to discuss the possible establishment of minimum property standards.

Representation will include one member of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, a member of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a member of the city board of appeals, a tenant and renter, a residential property owner and a member of the city staff.

Applications for this committee are available in the office of the city manager. All applications must be received by the city clerk by Thursday, May 12.

Eight applications have been filled out and returned and several more were given out since the announcement at Monday's city council meeting.