DIXON, Mo. (Jan. 17, 2012) — As is often the case, city and school elections in Dixon generated more candidates than any other area election, based on candidate filings reported Tuesday evening.

For the first time in two decades, Marshal Cliffty Yoakum won’t be on the ballot seeking re-election. Dixon is the last area city which still elects the head of its police department; the position comes up for election every four years and Yoakum announced his intention to retire last year.

The first candidate to file was Yoakum’s assistant, Sgt. Mike Plummer. He’s since been joined by James Eddleman, Scott Jones and John Ward, with John McNeil filing on the last day. All of the others are former Dixon police officers; Jones is also a former Dixon policeman who currently serves as the Doolittle police chief and ran against Yoakum four years ago in a two-way race.

The Dixon R-I School Board has three positions open this year. Incumbents Troy Porter and Craig Rivera both filed for re-election to their three-year terms and Kevin Shepherd, a former board president who was appointed to fill a vacancy when another board member resigned, is seeking election to a one-year unexpired term.

Porter and Rivera face a six-way race against four challengers, Steven Roberson, Marion Jim Anderson, Cesar Salais, and Jim Campbell.

Shepherd faces a three-way race for the one-year term against two challengers, Melinda Cruey and Jim Alexander.

The city council races, all for two-year terms, are quieter. Ward II Alderman Lynn Whitten and Ward III Alderman William Carter were the only people to file for their positions. In Ward I, Alderman Steven Martin didn’t file for re-election and two challengers, Jeffrey Clark and Linda Hardesty are in a two-way race for that post.

The Dixon Ambulance District rarely faces a contested election. Incumbents Kelly Catron and Art Forshey won’t face races for subdistricts 1 and 4, respectively, on the Dixon Ambulance Board; since both were the only candidates to file, an election won’t be held under a special rule that applies to school boards and special districts.

That law doesn’t apply to cities, however, and an election will be held for Ward II and Ward III of the Dixon City Council.