Election season is nearing its end and voters will be heading to the polls on Tuesday, April 2 to make their choices.
Many offices throughout the county are contested this April and several are guaranteed to see new faces shortly after the election.
Among the most tightly contested races is the contest for Bloomfield Mayor in which three individuals are challenging incumbent Mayor Scott Staggs for his seat. Those challenging him are Bill Pry, Alderman Randy Supancic and Alderman Donna Medlin.
In order to run for mayor, both Medlin and Supancic were not allowed to run for their current aldermen seats. Each of those seats will see new faces regardless of the outcome of the mayor's race.
Another hotly-contested race involves the Advance School Board. Five individuals are running for three open seats. Three incumbents, David Kennedy, Hiram Jones and Dan Seger are seeking re-election against two challengers, Tom Schmidt and David Lorch.
The three candidates with the highest vote totals will win the election.
The race for Richland School Board also has a busy race with six individuals running for three vacant seats. The only incumbent in the race is David DeJournett, but he has five new challengers. They are Kevin McClung, Mark Miller, Jason Blunt, Kyle Mitchell and Hollie Wheeler-Hughes.
Voters will also have the opportunity to determine the fate of use taxes in both the county and within the City of Dexter. A ful story on the use tax will be published later in the week.
The North Stoddard Countian and The Daily Statesman are joining together to host a live chat on the evening of election night. It will give viewers the opportunity to ask specific questions regarding individual races as well as for specific numbers and results.
The chat can be accessed at dailystatesman.com by following a link on the left-hand side of the page.
Following is a final list of all election filings for the April 2, 2013, Municipal Election.
Municipalities:
* Advance
Mayor:
Carl Ritter (I)
Ward 1 Alderman:
Wayne Page (I)
Ward 2 Alderman:
Tom Schmidt
Leeman Shirrell (I)
* Bell City
Mayor:
Howard Pikey (I)
Jerry "Hoppy" Elem
Ward 1 Alderman:
Teresa Steiner (I)
Ward 2 Alderman:
Dorothy Burton (I)
Phyllis Elem
* Bernie
Ward 1 Alderman:
Todd Young (I)
Ward 2 Alderman:
Tim Gage (I)
Ward 3 Alderman (two-year term):
Ivan Mekan (I)
Ward 3 Alderman (one-year term):
Barry Zimmerman
* Bloomfield
Mayor:
Bill Pry
Randy Supancic
Scott Staggs (I)
Donna Medlin
North Ward Alderman (two-year term):
Kim Johnson
North Ward Alderman (one-year term):
Pat Wilson
I.J. Schatz
South Ward Alderman (two-year term):
Tonya Roper
Collector:
Ruth McGee (I)
* Dexter
Ward 1 Alderman:
Terry Battles (I)
Ward 2 Alderman:
Tim Aslin (I)
Ward 3 Alderman:
Kirby Taylor (I)
Jeff Dudley
* Dudley
Mayor:
Lucille Mullins (I)
Jeffrey Harms
Ward 1 Alderman:
Mary Dugger (I)
Richard Carpenter
Ward 2 Alderman:
Barbara Robinson (I)
Margaret Keena
* Essex
Mayor:
Chad Maddox (I)
Ward 1 Alderman:
Robert Shell (I)
Karen Galloway
Ward 2 Alderman:
David Miller (I)
Sandy Kildow
* Puxico
Mayor:
Rickey McLean
Michelle R. Walker
Ward 1 Alderman:
G. S. Kilbreth
Ward 2 Alderman:
Joe Dunivan (I)
Bill Hemby
Collector:
Patty Cooper (I)
Municipal Judge:
David DeVaughn (I)
Schools:
* Advance R-4 School Board
David Kennedy (I)
Tom Schmidt
Hiram Jones (I)
Dan Seger (I)
David Lorch
* Bell City R-2 School Board
Benjamin Abner
Ryan McKee
Justin Thompson
* Bernie R-13 School Board
Zack Tanner
David Mayberry
* Bloomfield R-14 School Board
Don Lafferty (I)
Dave Cooper (I)
* Dexter R-11 School Board
Herman Morse (I)
Nancy Mayer (I)
* Puxico R-8 School Board
Patty McLean (I)
Doug Modglin
Allen Clark
* Richland R-1 School Board
David DeJournett (I)
Kevin McClung
Mark Miller
Jason Blunt
Kyle Mitchell
Hollie Wheeler Hughes
Township and Special Road District seats are also up for election throughout the county.