Filing opens for April 5 municipal elections

SIKESTON - Filing for municipal offices opened Tuesday and already a few races have developed. Candidates will have until Jan. 19 to file for office to appear on the April 5 election ballot.

Miner voters will elect a mayor and aldermen in Wards 1 and 2, all for two year terms in April.

Incumbent Mayor Darren Chapman has filed for another term in office.

The terms of Ward 1 boardmember Catherine Walters and Ward 2 boardmember Janet Williams are expiring. As of Wednesday, Don Foster had filed as a candidate in Ward 1.

In Benton, there are two-year terms as Ward 1 and 2 aldermen open, however no one has filed yet. The offices are currently held by Geri Hennemann in Ward 1 and David Gelsheimer in Ward 2.

No one has filed in Morley for the two openings for alderman-a-large or for the mayor's post, which are all two-year terms. The terms of Mayor Marlin O'Neal and Alderman-at-Large Tom Fodge are expiring and the other opening as alderman-at-large is a vacancy.

There are six seats to be filled in Oran's municipal election, but no one has yet filed for any of the two-year terms. Voters will select a mayor, collector and an alderman from each of the city's four wards.

The offices in Oran are now filled by Mayor Gary Senciboy; Marci Roslen, collector; and aldermen, Ronnie Diebold, Ward 1; Gil Roslen, Ward 2; Richard Randolph, Ward 3; and Tiffany Schaefer, Ward 4.

There is a race to serve as Lilbourn's mayor. John Fourthman has filed as has incumbent Mayor Larry Hamilton for the two-year term.

For the rest of the story see Thursday's Standard Democrat