INTEREST LEVEL IS HIGH IN FILINGS FOR CITY GOVERNMENT POSITIONS

Cape Girardeau's city governing body will undergo changes with its next election to accommodate citizens' wishes for ward representation. Though the election that will execute the transition to this form of representation won't be until next April, the process is well under way with the filing of candidates for open seats on the city council and for the mayor's position. The interest being shown in this municipal election is heartening, and we encourage others with an active interest in serving the city to use this opportunity.

Ten days into the month-long filing period, a handful of candidates have completed requirements for ballot inclusion and a dozen or so others petitions are making the rounds. Up for grabs in the April 5 general election (there may be a February primary required in some instances) are council seats in Wards 1, 2 and 6, plus the at-large mayoral seat. Full ward representation won't come about until 1996, when elections will be held for council seats in Wards 3, 4 and 5.

Candidates for city office must be: a registered voter in the city, at least 21 years old and a resident of Cape Girardeau for at least the last four years. Council candidates must be residents for at least 90 days in the ward in which they are running, and the 50 signatures they must get on nominating petitions must be from registered voters residing in that ward. In the mayoral race, the 50 signatures can be supplied by registered voters citywide.

Our reservations about ward representation have been noted in this space before. While we don't see this transition as collapsing the local civic structure, our philosophy remains that ward representation has the potential for divide where a unified community purpose is more desirable. Those who regarded the previous manner of at-large elections as inaccessible were mistaken in feeling shut out of the process. In truth, given the level of participation in municipal elections, putting together a voting bloc within a single ward under the previous system would have yielded the same result as it will now: a council seat. The point is, a candidate must get a significant degree of backing to serve on the council regardless of where lines are drawn. What the ward system actually does is limit choices.

Having stated this point, however, it remains a fact that Cape Girardeau voters chose to have ward representation and this should be, and has been, facilitated in the best means we know. And if the perception exists that the city council has been made more accessible for candidates, and more people choose to become involved as a result, so much the better. The broader the involvement by the citizens of this community, the better we feel local government operates.

While there are hitches along the way, the democratic process prevails. A system where voters are allowed to decide usually gets it right. These are positions of importance and we are heartened to see an extensive interest taken in filling them.