Municipal Filing

A number of bold individuals have thrown their names into the ring in hopes of securing a leadership position in area organizations following the April 3 General Municipal Election.

Positions on a variety of area school boards, local governments and water districts will be up for election.

Two school boards — McDonald County and East Newton — will see a race for seats, as will Goodman’s city council.

Absentee balloting begins Feb. 20 and must be submitted — via mail, fax or in office — by 5 p.m. April 2. Voters can apply to receive an absentee ballot from the county clerk’s office either in person or by fax. After application forms are completed, they are to be returned to the county clerk’s office for processing, after which an absentee ballot can be secured. For more information, call 417-223-7512.

Voters casting an absentee ballot must provide a legitimate reason for doing so. Secretary of State Jason Kander’s website lists the following as valid reasons for voting absentee:

Absence on Election Day from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which such voter is registered to vote;

Incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability, including a person who is primarily responsible for the physical care of a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness or disability;

Employment as an election authority, as a member of an election authority, or by an election authority at a location other than such voter’s polling place; and

Incarceration, provided all qualifications for voting are retained.

The following is a list of seats available on area boards of education. Names of the current incumbents are listed followed by individuals who have filed for election. All school board positions are for three-year terms unless otherwise noted.

McDonald County School Board — Angela Reece and Kim Harrell are the incumbents. Reece has filed for re-election, while Josh Banta and Andy McClain are seeking seats on the board.

East Newton School Board — Robin Farmer and Mandy McMahan. Farmer and McMahan have filed for re-election, while Howe Brown, Mark Knight, Martin Luther Dzerzhensky Lindstedt, and David Caroll Price are seeking seats on the board.

Wheaton School Board — Bobby Banks and Kevin Schlessman. Both have filed for re-election.

Seneca School Board — Matt Stewart and Rob Nesbold. Both have filed for re-election.

Southwest R-V School Board — Daniel Dalton and Robert Catron. Both have filed for re-election

Municipal openings with names of the current incumbents are listed followed by individuals who have filed for election. All are for two-year terms unless otherwise noted:

Anderson (8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday-Friday) — East Ward Alderman Chris Cable; West Ward Alderman Don Hines; and Mayor John Sellers are the incumbents. Sellers has filed for re-election.

Noel (9 a.m. until noon; 1 to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday) — North Ward Alderman Jim Boston; South Ward Alderman William Rose; West Ward Alderman Lonnie Huckabey*; and Judge Robert Barth are the incumbents. All have filed for re-election.

*Huckabey was appointed to the position following Vivian Brooks’ resignation.

Lanagan (8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) — At the time of publication, city officials were not available to provide information on open positions.

Goodman (7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday-Friday) — North Ward Alderman Calvin Wilson; South Ward Alderman Keith Cohley; and Judge Clyde Davidson are the incumbents. Cohley and Wilson have filed for re-election while J.R. Fisher has filed for South Ward Alderman and Kristen Lett has filed for North Ward Alderman.

Pineville (8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday-Friday) — North Ward Alderman Scott Dennis; South Ward Alderman Shirley Alps; Tax Collector Kathy Underwood; and Mayor Gregg Sweeten are the incumbents. All have filed for re-election.

Southwest City (8 a.m. until noon; 1 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday) — East Ward Alderman, Tammie Martin and West Ward Alderman Ron Jackson are the incumbents. No applications were submitted.

Rural water district positions with names of the current incumbents are listed followed by individuals who have filed for election. All are for three-year terms, set up by subdistricts:

Rural Water District No. 1 (10 a.m. — 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) — Janice Coberley, subdistrict 4, and Jamie Cope, subdistrict 5, are the incumbents. At the time of publication, district officials were not available to provide information on filings.

Rural Water District No. 2 (9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Mondays, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday) — Roger Harvey, subdistrict 3, and Jeff Strickland, subdistrict 4, are the incumbents. No applications were submitted.

Rural Water District No. 3 (call 417-762-7167 for times to register) — Steve Mason, subdistrict 5, is the incumbent. Subdistrict 2 is currently vacant. At the time of publication, district officials were not available to provide information on filings.