Sheldon races among April 5 city contests

In addition to the Nevada Vernon County's April 5 municipal and township balloting will feature lively contests for mayor and aldermen at the city of Sheldon, which faces a series of important issues that the new board of aldermen will confront.

Mayoral candidates Debbie Huggins and Rob Sewell laid out different priorities Friday with Huggins citing cleaning up the city and fixing the sewer plant while Sewell, the incumbent, focused on repairing streets and sidewalks and planting trees.

Huggins, a Nevada convenience store manager who was a Sheldon alderwoman from 2002-'08, would hire a code administrator to enforce yard and building ordinances and plug a leaking cell at the sewer lagoon east of town.

"I want to make it a better, safer place for the kids," she said. "The Missouri Department of Natural Resources could shut our water off for not being up to code."

Sewell, a hospital adminstrator, "would like to get grants to fix more sidewalks and streets.

"We have a street account, but there is not enough money in it," he said. "If we don't get a grant, we might have to do a bond. The other big thing is cleaning up the abandoned and dangerous buildings."

Sewell said Sheldon "used to be the city of trees," but many of its trees are dying and must be replaced.

In a town with fewer than 200 voters, Huggins and Sewell will be on the April 5 ballot with fellow mayoral hopeful James Quist and aldermen candidates Josh Lamb, Robert Moran and John Scifers.

As reported by the Vernon County Clerk's Office, other area candidates are:

* Schell City North Ward alderman, Ken McCoy and James Dulin, and South Ward alderman, David McCubbin and Jean Watson.

* Milo aldermen, Bob Hines, Dean Baxter and Kevin D. Williams.

* Moundville aldermen, George Dickinson, Craig L. Bott and David L. Stark.

* Richards board members, Russell Underwood, Linda Underwood, Lorie Jones, Mary Jones, Elvin Coffman, Cindi Gill and Melvin Higgins.

* Deerfield board members, Corey E. Otter, David E. Prickett and Kris Sisseck.

* Bacon Township road maintenance trustees, Ron Maus and David Scotten, and board members, Wilbur Price, Dennis Vantellman and Chris Gaines.

* Center Township trustees, Monte Sheets and Paul Hirschman, and board members, Richard A. "Rick" Smith and David E. Harris.

* Clear Creek Township board members, Tom Cooper, Perry Lackey, Jenise Burch and Barbara Elliott.

* Coal Township trustees, Charles A. Comstock Jr. and Ronald D. Wolf, and board members, Ted Dilly, Russell Johnson and Everett L. Wolfe.

* Montevallo Township board members, Gale Gardner and Jeffery Parrish.

* Walker Township board members, Bob Clinton, Ernest Nikodim, Clayton Arnold and Robert Cubbage.

Other races outside Nevada are not contested. Watch for stories about candidates for the Nevada City Council and Nevada R-5 Board of Education in future editions of the Nevada Daily Mail.