Race for Fulton mayor tops filings for city offices in county

When the filing deadline for the April 5 city elections in Callaway County ended Tuesday, a race for mayor emerged in Fulton, and no one filed for one alderman position in Holts Summit.

A candidate for the Fulton City Council was disqualified for not submitting enough valid signatures on a filing petition, and questions arose on whether candidates filed for one-year or two-year terms for the Board of Aldermen in Auxvasse.

Fulton

Fulton Mayor Charles M. Latham decided one term was enough as mayor and did not file for re-election.

Latham's decision created more interest for the office. Robert Craghead, a former Fulton mayor, has filed for the job again along with former councilman LeRoy Benton.

Callaway County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Casey Clevenger filed as the lone candidate for prosecuting attorney in Fulton Municipal Court.

In Fulton a special provision of the city charter requires candidates for city offices to gain voter signatures from registered city voters on a petition before they can file for office. Candidates for mayor and prosecuting attorney must secure valid signatures of 100 registered voters in Fulton.

Fulton City Clerk Carolyn Laswell said all of the candidates for mayor and prosecuting attorney met the valid signature requirements of the city charter.

Laswell said the same was true for all candidates for Fulton City Council except Michael Harrison, a candidate for the First Ward.

The city clerk said Harrison failed to obtain enough valid signatures on his petition to qualify for placement of his name on the ballot.

Candidates for Fulton City Council must secure valid signatures of 25 residents who are registered to vote in the ward where they are a candidate.

Harrison's failure to obtain enough valid signatures on his petition means incumbent First Ward Councilman Wayne Chailland will be unopposed in his bid for a two-year term. All other candidates for the Fulton City Council also are unopposed.

Mary Rehklau filed as an incumbent for a one-year term in office in Ward 2. Rehklau was required to run for the one-year term because she was appointed to the office last year after the previous council member resigned. She is unopposed.

For the two-year term in Ward 2 incumbent Lowe Cannell is unopposed.

In Ward 3 incumbent Richard Vaughn also is unopposed.

In Ward 4 incumbent James McCall decided not to seek re-election. Rick Shiverdecker filed for the two-year term in this ward and is unopposed.

Incumbent Fulton councilmen not up for re-election this year are Mike West, Ward 1; John Pautz, Ward 3; and Steve Moore, Ward 4.

Holts Summit

When the filing deadline ended Tuesday, no one filed for office in Ward 2 of the Board of Aldermen in Holts Summit.

Paul Buckley decided not to seek re-election and no one filed in Ward 2.

Holts Summit City Administrator Brian Crane said he was not overly concerned about the vacancy.

"I expect someone will step forward and file as a write-in candidate before the April 5 election," Crane said.

He also said if no one files as a write-in candidate the mayor with the confirmation of the board of aldermen will appoint an alderman for Ward 2. Crane said if that occurs, the name of the person appointed must appear on the ballot at the next available election if he or she desires to stay in office.

Jason Michael, Ward 1 alderman, filed for re-election and is unopposed.

No other office holders are up for re-election this year. They include Mayor Lucas Fitzpatrick, Ward 1 Alderwoman Pamela Murray and Ward 2 Alderman Thomas Durham.

Auxvasse

Auxvasse Mayor Kevin Phares, who was appointed to the position last year after the previous mayor resigned, drew no opposition when he filed for the one-year term of office in the April 5 city election.

Phares previously served as mayor pro tem and North Ward alderman. He was appointed last year to serve in the office of mayor by other members of the council until the next available city election.

To replace Phares as North Ward alderman, Michael H. Bickel was appointed to serve until the next available election. Bickel filed for the two-year term and is unopposed in the April 5 city election.

Deputy City Clerk Kristin Edwards said four candidates filed for the South Ward, and she is seeking clarification from the county clerk or the Missouri Secretary of State on how to determine whether they filed for the two-year term or the one-year term in that ward.

"None of the candidates indicated they were filing for the one-year term or the two-year term in the South Ward," Edwards said.

South Ward Alderman Terry Walker filed for re-election. The seat he holds now was up for a two-year term.

The other South Ward Alderman seat was for a one-year unexpired term occupied previously by the late Leroy Stubblefield, who died last year. The seat had been vacant.

The three other people who filed for the South Ward and did not specify whether they were filing for the one-year or two-year term are Bret Barnes, George (Trey) Baumgartner III, and Trenton Lee Bohrn.

Incumbent North Ward Alderwoman Stephanie Leverett is not up for re-election this year in the four-member Auxvasse Board of Aldermen. There are two North Ward members and two South Ward members.

New Bloomfield

A race for Ward 2 of the New Bloomfield Board of Aldermen developed Tuesday when Wil F. Lawrence filed to oppose incumbent Martha Siegel, who filed for re-election.

Gus Rehagen filed for re-election in Ward 1 and is unopposed.

The other New Bloomfield office holders are not up for re-election this year. They are Mayor Terry Shaw, Ward 1 Alderman Paul Hilchen, who was elected for the first time last year, and incumbent Alderwoman Rosemary Augustine of Ward 2.

Kingdom City

Three candidates have filed for two positions on the Board of Trustees at the village of Kingdom City.

They are incumbents Betty Redmon and Michelle Miller. James Gravemann, a former member of the board, also filed as a candidate for the board.

Curtis L. Warfield Jr., city clerk of Kingdom City, said the two candidates receiving the most votes in the April 5 city election will be elected to a two-year term of the Board of Trustees.

Warfield said those are the only city offices up for election on April 5.