Filing for local municipal offices underway

SIKESTON — Races are forming as filing for municipal offices is underway.

Candidates will have until 5 p.m. Jan. 15 to file for office to appear on the April 2, 2019 election ballot.

Miner voters will elect a collector and one alderman in Ward 1 and one alderman in Ward 2.

As of Thursday morning, incumbent Doris Smith has refiled for her position as collector while incumbent Renee Clark is the only one to file for her Ward 1 alderman position. Don Foster is the lone person to file for Alderman in Ward 2.

In Benton, mayor Jim Simmons has refiled for his position while Beverly Riley has also refiled for her position as city collector. Incumbent Howard Bollinger has refiled for alderman in Ward 1while nobody has filed for alderman in Ward 2, currently held by David Mack.

New Madrid will have three alderman positions up for election in April. In Ward 1, alderman Jim Cravens has refiled while incumbent Nick White has refiled alderman in Ward 2. In Ward 3, incumbent Mark Wade has refiled along with challenger Peter Rost.

In Morehouse, incumbent mayor Pete Leija has refiled as has city marshal incumbent Jack Hayes. There are also alderman positions in Ward 1 and Ward 2 and a city collector position available.

So far, Chris Hensley has filed for alderman in Ward 1 while Jonathan Hayes has filed for alderman in Ward 2. No one has currently filed for the city collector position.

There are three openings in Matthews with mayor with alderman in Ward 1 and Ward 2 to be decided.

Both Keith Duke and Daniel Adams have filed for mayor while Kim Jordan is the lone person to file for alderman in Ward 1, a position currently held by Duke. Kylie Adams and Rick Houston have each filed to fill the alderman in Ward 2 position.

In Portageville, voters will decide on a mayor, city collector and an alderman in both Ward 1 and Ward 2.

Current incumbent Dennis McCrate has refiled for mayor and will be challenged by Vince Berry. Incumbent Lynn Doering has refiled for alderman in Ward 1 while incumbnet Ray Staffey has refiled for alderman in Ward 2.

Michele Crawford, the current city collector, has also refiled to keep her position, which is a four-year term.

Voters will decide five positions in East Prairie, with mayor, city collector, and aldermen in Ward 1, Ward 2 and Ward 3 all up for vote.

Incumbent Kevin P. Mainord has refiled for mayor while incumbent Mary Anne Mainord has refiled for collector.

As of Thursday morning, no one has filed for any of the three alderman positions.

In Lilbourn, two alderman positions will be decided in April. In Ward 1, nobody has filed for the alderman position currently held by Ronnie Ivie while incumbent Richard Colwick has refiled for his alderman position in Ward 2 along with Michael Henry.

By Sikeston’s charter, filing closed for the three openings — councilman-at-large and Ward 1 and Ward 4 council members — on Sikeston’s city council in November.

Filing for the councilman-at-large position was incumbent Ryan Merideth.

Also filing were Brandon Sparks for council member-Ward 1 and Onethia T. Williams for council-member-Ward 4. They will all be running unopposed. Currently the Ward 1 position is held by Jon Gilmore and Ward 4 by Mary White-Ross.

Information from Charleston and Morley was unavailable at press time.