Election filings continue

File photo Local residents cast their ballots at the 2010 election.

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As of Wednesday, Dec. 28, City Clerk Brenda Privett reports there has been one more filing for the seat occupied by Mark Ellis in Ward One. Bob Hancock, of Gamble's Printing has placed his name in the hat for the upcoming election that will be held in April of 2012.

When asked for his comments on what prompted him to file for the position and what he would like to see accomplished during his term as councilman, Hancock commented, "What prompted me was I have been in Kennett twice since 1980 and I just got off the Board of Public Works after 12 years of service on that board. I thought this would be a good opportunity to continue to get involved in local government.

"What I would like to do or see done for in Kennett is to get pro-active on seeking companies to come into Kennett and provide jobs and bolster our economy. I don't think if we continue to do the same thing everybody else is doing and that's sitting and waiting for these people to come and knock on our door, it's not going to happen.

"I think we are going to have to develop a program and a plan to get out and actively pursue or get someone on our behalf to pursue companies to come here. Particularly, I would love to see Kennett get involved in call centers. This is a growing facet of the economy. There's quite a few call centers in the State of Missouri primarily located in the major cities. I think we have a good opportunity to do that here with our low utility rates and the fact that CLGW is putting fiber( fiber optic Internet broadband access) into the home and is already available to the businesses. So, I thing this would be a good fit," Hancock said.

The other filing in Ward one has been by Cody Lowe who works at Schilp Dodge.

Hancock spoke a little about his background, noting that he first came to Kennett in 1980 with UARCO to open its local plant. He stayed that first time until 1986 when he left to open another UARCO plant in Mississippi.

"I returned in 1993 and was here until the plant closed in 1998. At that point, I purchased Vavack Printing. In 2004, I purchased Gamble Printing and combined the two of them. So, I've been in printing for about 40 to 53 years," he said, adding, "Between that and doing some site searches and selection for UARCO [and] with my tenure with them, I think I've got some experience to offer."

Other communities that saw new filings included Arbyrd. According to Lisa Letson, city clerk, Robert Burgess had filed for the seat in the South Ward now occupied by incumbent Richard Vallee. Vying for the seat of Mayor Lonnie Gibson, Jr., will be Arbyrd resident Johnny Zolman. Ron Higgins, incumbent, for the North Ward has re-filed and offered his comments as to why he chose to do so.

"I would like to see the City of Arbyrd get to back to the way it was and go forward, instead of backwards," he said. He noted how the city council members should come into agreement as to how to bring this about. When he was asked what he would like to see accomplished during his next term, he said, "I would like to see the town grow [and become] more prosperous [and] more buildings be erected. We've just now approved our fire station, police station, [and] new secretarial office be built here in Arbyrd. I'm glad to see that approved. Higgins noted how the new building is now being worked on. He continued by saying, "I'd also like to see more business come into town. The moral of the whole story is let Arbyrd grow like it used to grow instead of falling like it's falling now. We went from 581 down to 482. It's hurting the economy right here."

"It seems like everything is leaving the city of Arbyrd for some reason and I can't understand why," he said.

When asked what he would do to bolster Arbyrd, he added, "Bring more people in here [and] open more stores up. He noted how the city used to have three grocery stores, a library and a funeral home, and a mechanic shop. What is left now is one grocery store.

On the positive side, Higgins noted that the city's sewer system is up to the standards the way the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with the city contracting with Palladium Engineering out of St. Louis, Mo.

According to city officials in Senath, there have been no new filings. The seats of Bud Brooks in the North Ward and Ronnie Newman in the South Ward are both open for filing. So far only Newman has re-filed.

When asked his comments regarding this, Newman shared his thoughts. "The reason I filed was to serve the city the best I can and what I want to see is a lot of improvement. We just passed two tax issues, a one percent sales tax and a two 1/2 percent sales tax. We're going to use the one percent to go strictly for street repair. [I'm] looking forward to a lot of streets fixed in town. Just help better the city."

City officials in Cardwell note that there has been one more filing and that is Jack Powell who filed early on Friday morning. Powell will be vying for the seat of Jesse Taylor who is the incumbent in the North Ward. So far, there have been no filings for South Ward whose seat is currently held by incumbent Becki Hall.

When Taylor was asked why he filed he noted that he would like to continue working for the betterment of the city. He added that during his next term, if elected, he would like to continue pushing forward for a new lagoon system in the city as well as restoration on the Depot Building in the city. He noted that the city now has funds to cover the cost of the roof and expect to start on that project right away. He added that he wants to continue work on the drainage ditches in town, especially on the southeastern part of town. Taylor added that he is familiar with the lagoon system and its design and would like to see it through to completion.

Hornersville City Clerk Elisa Johnson reports that there have been no new filings in the city. So far there are two seats on the council available in April's election North Ward alderman Rondia Rauls seat and South Ward alderman Glen Burris's seat. The Chief of Police position will also be available and is now occupied by John Nunnery. Richard Lyle has been the only filing for that position. Mike James has been the only filing so far for Rauls seat in the North Ward.

James offered these comments. "I retired from truck driving after 31 years and had a lot of people [ask] me 'Why don't [you] run for city council?' I thought I'll give it a try. I've been in Hornersville all my life except for two or three years when I was 14. I think we have a small town and I think with the city council and all the people living in this town, it's a nice town to live in now but I think we can make some improvements on things. I think if we all work together as a team, we can get that accomplished. I just decided to throw my hat in the ring and see what happened."

City officials at Holcomb report that there has been one new filing and that is Paul Young for South Ward alderman. He will be vying for the seat of Tony Roberts. So far, there have been no filings for the North Ward. That seat is currently occupied by Jim Wilson.

Individuals interested in running for one of the open seats will have until 5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, for the April election. Mayoral seats are for four years, and council/alderman seats are for two years. Interested parties should contact the city clerk's office in each respective area. Newly elected officials will take office in May.

At press time the following candidates were unavailable for comment, Arbyrd/ Robert Burgess, Johnny Zolman; Hornersville/Glen Burris, Richard Lyle,; Cardwell/Jack Powell; Holcomb/Paul Young.

As the filings continue, watch for future comments from the candidates.