CORRECTION APPENDED: Incorrect ward numbers were listed for Richland aldermen.

PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. (Dec. 16, 2008) — Candidate filings began at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning for the April school and city elections, and several positions have already received numerous candidates.

The largest number of candidates filed for the Waynesville R-VI School Board, where long-time incumbents Randy Walters and David Tritten are up for re-election to their three-year terms. Tritten had not filed as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday but Randy Walters filed early Tuesday morning. He’ll face a challenge from former school board member Leroy Fulmer, who was defeated last year in his re-election bid, and from Herman Blau and Melvin Hensley.

Tritten and anyone else interested in running for office has until Jan. 20 to file.

Numerous other school board and city council candidates have filed, but all are incumbents except in Laquey, where incumbents Mary Cristoffer and Mary Ann Miller are up for re-election. Cristoffer filed early Tuesday morning, as well as former board member Larry Southard; Miller hasn’t yet turned in her candidacy papers.

Many school districts plan to dismiss early due to bad weather conditions and not all district offices may be open until their normal close of business to accept candidate filings.

In other school districts:

• Incumbent Crocker R-II School Board President Charles Worstell has filed for re-election to his three-year term, but incumbent Jeff Curry hadn’t yet filed and no one else has filed.

• Both incumbents for the Dixon R-I School Board, Board President Troy Porter and Craig Rivera, have filed for re-election to their three-year terms, but no one else has filed.

• None of the three candidates who are up for re-election to the Plato R-V School Board, Mike Friend, Penny Morrison and Pete Scurlock, have yet filed. Scurlock was appointed to fill an unexpired term and his position will be filled for two years; the other positions are three-year terms.

• Neither candidate for the Richland R-IV School Board, Troy Posten and Jo-Ellen Ferguson, have yet filed for re-election to their three-year terms.

• Incumbent Swedeborg R-III School Board member Wayne King filed for re-election to his three-year term. Fellow board members Jamie Alexander, who is up for re-election to a three-year term, and Alexis Roam, who is up for re-election to a one-year term, have not yet filed and no one else has filed.

Filings for city offices were quiet Tuesday with only incumbents filing so far and no contested races except the Richland mayoral race.

• In Crocker, Mayor Jim Morgan filed for re-election, but Ward I Alderman and Ward II Alderman Kim Skaggs-Henson have not yet filed for re-election to their two-year terms. Ward I Alderman also hasn’t filed for re-election to his one-year term.

• In Dixon, Mayor Darrell French is up for re-election to a four-year term. Municipal Judge Evan Shackelford, Ward I Alderman Vienna Tyson, Ward II Alderman Steven Parker, and Ward III Alderman John Sheppard are all up for re-election to two-year terms, but none have yet filed.

• In Richland, Mayor Bob Wall and Municipal Judge Rodney Blanchard both filed for re-election to their two-year terms. Ward I Alderman Eldon Haun, Ward II Alderman Mac Myers and Ward III Alderman Tim Bailey are all up for re-election to two-year terms but none have yet filed.

• In St. Robert, Mayor George Sanders, Ward I Alderman Theresa Cook, Ward II Alderman Gene Newkirk, Ward III Alderman Allan Johannsen and Ward IV Alderman Bill Shaw are all up for re-election for two-year terms but none have yet filed.

• In Waynesville, Ward I Councilwoman Diana Stanford, Ward III Councilwoman Luge Hardman, and Ward IV Councilman Mike France all filed for re-election to their two-year terms. Ward II Councilwoman Adele Nickels had not yet filed for re-election to her two-year term and Ward IV Councilman Butch O’Riley, who was appointed to fill a vacancy, had not yet filed for re-election to the remaining one year of his unexpired term.

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