The two candidates for the Auxvasse Board of Aldermen are unopposed incumbents. However, the Fulton Sun has composed these candidate profiles to inform voters of who will be in the council seats for one more term to represent the North and South wards.
South Ward
Terry Walker, 49, is originally from Sacramento, California He came to the Auxvasse community in 2006.
This is Walker's fourth term, he said. He oversees the fire department along with his current position as alderman. He is also an electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Walker has a high school education in addition to his five-year apprenticeship as an electrician and his experience as a soldier in the U.S. Army.
He has a wife and a daughter.
When asked if he had any affiliations with a political party, Walker answered that he did not care to announce any such affiliations.
"The people that were on the council did not know what they had in order," he said when asked why he was running. "My goal was to make sure we weren't just making laws to make laws and we were doing better for the city. Everything in the city was kind of getting dilapidated and we needed help and I thought I was the person who could do it."
If elected, Walker said he will continue efforts to repair the city's maintenance and infrastructure, as well as start to repair the roads.
"If we can find grant money for roads, that is a main concern," he said. "Basically, infrastructure repair is what needs to happen around here and if we can get a few more businesses in town that would be a plus. It just takes some time to get things rolling."
North Ward
Mike Bickel, 54, is originally from Mercer, but he has been a member of the Auxvasse community for more than 20 years, he said.
He graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia with a bachelor's of science in animal sciences, and is a carpenter by trade.
He is married with two sons, one in college and the other in high school. Bickel declined to comment on being a member of any political party.
Bickel referenced multiple current city projects when asked about goals for his new term.
"We are really in the middle of this water project and we want to see it get finished," Bickel said when asked about goals for his new term. "From there, we really would like to see the streets getting improved and the water project is going to cover some of that. Other than that, we are trying to figure out some ways to get some businesses to move in and that will improve tax revenue."
He added that the job of alderman is a job that somebody has to do and people should feel that it is their civic duty.
"If somebody else would run I might be willing to step down," Bickel said. "I have been here quite a few years and I like the town and I would like to see it keep improving."
Write-in candidate
There is one write-in candidate for the North Ward, said Callaway County Clerk Denise Hubbard. Jerry Wilkerson filed his declaration of intention on Jan. 22. However, Wilkerson may be facing a problem with his eligibility to hold office.
Wilkerson originally faced question on whether he could run due to his status as a convicted felon last election season. After checking with the Secretary of State's office, Wilkerson said at the time, he was found to be eligible to run due to a loophole in state law that allows felons to hold office in certain small municipalities.
But that is not the issue that may be barring him from office. In 2014, Wilkerson was found ineligible for office by 13th Circuit Court Judge Gary Oxenhandler due to unpaid utility fees in a special hearing. As of now, the fees have still not been paid, said Mike Bertschinger, Auxvasse city supervisor and former alderman.