Candidate filing closed Tuesday for the April 6 general municipal election.
The list of candidates running for school boards, seats on city councils and other positions includes names familiar and new.
Though filing closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday, each municipality has its own set of requirements for candidates running for office. For example, candidates running for city council in Fulton must gather the signatures of 25 qualified voters from their ward. The appropriate clerk must then verify those signatures and ensure each candidate meets age, residency and other requirements.
City clerks and public school central offices have until next Tuesday to confirm the validity of candidates and send the finalized list to the Callaway County Clerk's office.
Municipal elections
One seat in each of Fulton's four wards will be up for grabs, including those currently occupied by Ward 1's Valerie Sebacher, Ward 2's Jeff Stone, Ward 3's Lindsey Pace-Snook and Ward 4's Rick Shiverdecker.
Of the incumbents, only Pace-Snook has not filed to run for re-election - she told the Fulton Sun she's going to be moving soon within Fulton and isn't sure what ward she'll end up in.
Alan Combs has filed to run for Ward 3, and Sebacher will face off with former City Council member Mike West.
Attorney Eric Qualls is the sole candidate for Fulton's prosecuting attorney position after Robert Sterner opted not to file for re-election.
On the ballot for Holts Summit are two board of aldermen seats, one for each ward. The Ward 1 seat is currently occupied by Mike Harvey, while the Ward 2 seat is held by Chris Redel. Both incumbents are running for re-election, and no other candidates have filed. Terms last two years.
In New Bloomfield, two board of aldermen seats are open: The Ward 1 seat currently occupied by Dan Kliethermes and the Ward 2 seat of Michael Lowe Sr. Kliethermes is running for re-election and has no competition. Lowe has not filed for re-election. Instead, Dean Powell, of New Bloomfield, has filed to run for the Ward 2 seat. Alderman terms are two years.
In 2015, New Bloomfield voters passed a ballot measure that allows the city to forgo municipal elections when the number of candidates who have filed is equal to the number of positions to be filled - conditions they've met.
Kingdom City passed a similar ordinance in 2020.
"We passed an ordinance that if we have the same number of people running as the number of open positions, we won't have an election, to save on costs," Assistant City Manager Larry Doyle Jr. said.
Kingdom City residents will be electing two trustees to serve two-year terms. Current trustees Allen Flood-Thompson and Denise Shaw chose to run for re-election and were the only candidates who filed, fulfilling the conditions of the ordinance.
In Mokane, Mayor Jo Belmont is running for re-election, as is alderman Shauna Lenhard. This leaves Mokane an alderman short of its full four, City Clerk Tracy Hoffmann said.
As of press time Wednesday, the City of Auxvasse's city clerk had not provided a list of candidates. Up for election are one south ward and one north ward seat on the board of aldermen, and the mayor's position.
Schools
Each of Callaway County's four boards of education is having an election.
The Fulton 58 School District will be electing two board members. Jacqueline "Jackie" Pritchett and Leah Baker are running for re-election, and newcomer Tyler Steffens, of Fulton, has also tossed his hat in the ring.
North Callaway R-1 patrons must elect two school board members. Amy Reinhard, a board member since 2015, is running for re-election. Rebecca Burget-Wall, who previously ran for the school board in 2020, is running again in 2021. Greg Huddleston, first elected in 2018, has not chosen to run for re-election.
South Callaway R-2 is also electing two school board members. Current members Micah Benningfield and Brent Woods are running for re-election. They'll be facing competition from newcomers Caleb Bartley and Jamey Martin.
Two spots on the New Bloomfield R-3 Board of Education are up for election, and three candidates have filed: incumbent Amy Pendleton, Craig Abbott and Doug Glick. Abbott served on the board previously; his last term expired in 2020, and he withdrew his bid for re-election. Glick is a first-time candidate. Incumbent Terri Sweeten has not filed to run for re-election.