Commissioner, sheriff, state representative and state senate candidates tout their qualifications
Election judge Sue Orf heads into the new polling place where Bayou Precinct voters will cast their votes in the Aug. 4 primary election. After using the Bakersfield Masonic Hall as a polling site for years, the Bayou Precinct will move to the FEMA shelter building at the Bakersfield School. Bakersfield superintendent Amy Britt said voters who need handicap access may park in the marked spaces on the southwest side of the FEMA building and enter the door nearest the gym entrance. Another access with steps on the FEMA building’s north side adjoins the gravel parking lot.
This week the Times is publishing “profiles” of 12 candidates running in five of the six locally contested races Ozark Countians will vote on in the Aug. 4 primary election. In next week’s Times, we plan to publish profiles of the three candidates running for Ozark County assessor.
All candidates running in contested races filed on the Republican ticket. One local Democratic candidate, Mike Lind is running unopposed on the Democratic ticket for the 155th Missouri House District seat. In the Nov. 3 General Election, Lind will face the winner of the Aug. 7 Republican primary.
These Ozark County officeholder incumbents are running unopposed for reelection, and profiles were not compiled for them: Treasurer Christy Thompson, public administrator Melinda Abraham and surveyor Matt Wade.
Gene Britt is running unopposed for the Ozark County coroner’s job currently held by Shane Ledbetter, who has not filed for re-election as coroner but instead is running in the contested race for western district commissioner.
These are the salaries paid for the local positions to be decided in the election (provided to the Times earlier this year by Ozark County Clerk Brian Wise and the Missouri Secretary of State’s office):
• Assessor, public administrator, treasurer, $38,000.
• Eastern and western commissioner, $25,000.
• Coroner, $11,000.
• Sheriff, $42,000.
• Surveyor: paid as needed.
• 155th District State Representative and 33rd District Senate, $35,915 plus per diem.
To compile these profiles, the Times sent brief questionnaires to the candidates in contested races, asking them to limit their total response to around 400 words. Their responses were edited, and the edited drafts were returned to them for approval before being published here.