Chaffee City Council candidate profiles

Jack Simpson (Ward 1)

Age: 64

Spouse: Barbara

Children: Two adult sons

Employment: Retired postal worker and retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant

Education: University of Missouri-Columbia, 1981; bachelor's degree in business.

Memberships: Chaffee Elks BPOE No. 1810, president of the Oran 25 Club.

Reason for running: Interested in what goes on in Chaffee and trying to work out some of the city's problems.

Other experience: Former owner of RJ's Tavern in Chaffee and RJ's of Cape

Main challenges: Attracting business and beautifying the city.

Main assets: It's a small, friendly community.

Communication: Talking to people around town; the telephone; the door is always open.

Mike Jobe

Age: 43

Spouse: Danni

Children: Two daughters in high school and a son in grade school

Employment: Plaza Tire store manager

Education: High school graduate

Memberships: None

Reason for running: I've been on the council before and I wanted to help out.

Other experience: Ward 3 councilman while living in that part of town.

Main challenges: Trying to keep the downtown area alive, getting business to come in. There's a lot of room for improvement.

Main assets: It has a great school system. I've been to a lot of places and traveled all over. Chaffee has the people I grew up with and the people who know you. It's a hometown.

Communication: I'm open and vocal. I'm going to give honest answers. I pass on information.

Ronald Eichhorn (Ward 2)

Age: 58

Spouse: Debbie, Ward 2 councilwoman

Children: Jaeson Fraser, Ward 1 councilman

Employment: Truck driver, overnights only

Education: High school graduate, Franklin Truck Driving School Bailey Tech School, diesel mechanics

Memberships: Chaffee Historical Society, Chaffee Elks BPOE 1810

Reason for running: Just always been interested in government. I don't have a strong agenda. I just like to help make the city a good place to live.

Other experience: I've attended most city council meetings for the last six years. I'm a former public works and parks department employee. My family is interested in what goes on in Chaffee and the government workings.

Main challenges: We have a problem with our streets. Our sidewalks are in bad shape. We need to get business of some sort into Chaffee.

Main assets: The people. We've got good transportation. We're close to the Interstate. It's a small, quiet community.

Communication: People need to come to the meetings, to voice their concerns. If they've got questions ... my phone's open, my door is open. A lot of people know me. They may not know my name, but they know my face.

Jerry Childers (Ward 2)

Age: 56

Spouse: Shirley

Employment: Retired Nordenia lab technician

Education: High school, military vocational tech schools

Memberships: VFW

Reason for running: I've been wanting to run for years, and just now have an opportunity to. I have time to do what needs to be done. I really want to help Chaffee.

Other experience: I have 14 years' military experience.

Main challenges: Getting water and sewer lines and infrastructure, drainage; working on grants to get things back in order.

Main assets: We have some real good people doing some good work. Some council members doing some good hard work that I respect ... they're doing it because they love Chaffee.

Communication: My phone line's always open. We're starting to get people showing up to meetings.

Charles Huey (Ward 2)

Age: 23

Spouse: N/A

Children: N/A

Employment: Huey's Taxi Co. owner

Education: high school graduate, Southeast Missouri State University student majoring in medical technology and microbiology.

Memberships: Chaffee Planning and Zoning board member; Chaffee Elks BPOE 1810, Scott County Republican Party, 10 organizations that help local veterans and children

Reason for running: To help the people of Chaffee have a nicer place to live and work. I feel it is my duty as an American. I want to see Chaffee become the city it once was, with thriving businesses.

Other experience: Lifelong Chaffee resident and a small-business owner.

Main challenges: The rumor that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could incorporate Chaffee as a flood zone along with some of Scott City's new industrial park. I plan to work against that. Streets need to be widened and repaved.

Main assets: The people, because the majority care about each other. Chaffee is centrally located.

Communication: Residents can call me as late at 10 p.m. if they need to. I will hold a town-hall meeting every month if elected. I want the people to have a voice.

Jesse Jack Nordin (incumbent, Ward 4)

Age: 80

Spouse: Betty

Children: An adult daughter

Employment: Jack's Plumbing, company owner

Education: High school graduate

Memberships: U.S. Navy, World War II veteran, VFW; Elks; Masonic Lodge; Shriner

Reason for running: I believe that I have more input in the city and what's going on than my opponent. I have no kinfolks working for the city.

Other experience: I know where all the water mains and sewers are. About three years ago, I was the chairman of the city's water and sewer division. I still know more about it than somebody coming in there as a greenhorn.

Main challenges: We need to get some of the ditches cleaned out. We need to upgrade the sewer and water department and we need people working for the city to do their jobs. Cliques within the city; everybody that lives in this city should be treated alike.

Main assets: People working together. We have good schools.

Communication: I will be out here like ham on rye. This thing has got to turn around. I stop by and talk to people as I see them out, not only in my ward, but all four wards. People can call me.

Paula Hicks (Ward 4)

Age: 52

Spouse: Eric

Children: Two adult children, a daughter and a son

Employment: Payroll manager, Drury

Education: High school graduate

Memberships: Cape Area Personnel Association

Reason for running: To try to make a change, to make a difference.

Other experience: I've lived in Chaffee all my life. I've got over 10 years' experience in human resources, working with people.

Main challenges: It's a small town. We've had our ups and downs recently. We need a council that can work together.

Main assets: We're the small town, a close-knit community. I'm very proud of Chaffee. It's a town that would gladly help others.

Communication: I would urge them to go to the city council meetings, instead of hearing it secondhand, go down and see for yourself.

Unavailable

Information for incumbent councilwoman Alice McFerron was unavailable. Bill Dysinger is running unopposed in Ward 3.