November 02, 2008 11:34 pm
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By Debby Woodin
dwoodin@joplinglobe.com
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Lawrence County voters will decide three county races in Tuesday’s balloting.
There are races for sheriff, Eastern District associate commissioner and assessor.
In the primary election in August, five candidates sought the Republican nod for sheriff after incumbent Ed Weisacosky chose not to seek re-election.
Brad DeLay, a former lieutenant with the department who has since been appointed to fill Weisacosky’s unexpired term, won that race. He faces Democratic candidate Melodee Mefford, of Miller, in Tuesday’s balloting.
In the Eastern District commissioner’s race, Republican Joe Ruscha defeated incumbent Earl Dotson, of Marionville, in the primary and will face Democrat Eddie Breeding, of Aurora.
The incumbent assessor, Doug Bowerman, of Miller, defeated Jerry Lee West in the Republican primary and faces Democrat Wilma J. Sanders, of Miller.
Sheriff
DeLay, 37, has worked for the department 15 years. He was appointed acting sheriff on Sept. 26.
Before the appointment, he served as patrol lieutenant, supervising eight uniformed officers, 22 reserve officers and the victims’ advocate, a program that started three years ago.
A major task for the department if he is elected, he said, would be investigating drug cases. “This is basically the key to everything,” he said. “Any crime we have we can trace to drugs or drug usage.”
His said his priority as sheriff would be to “provide the best service we can to the people. We’ll serve and protect in any way that we can.”
Mefford, 54, retired after 25 years with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. She was an administrator in dispatch when she retired. She helped to open several new 911 centers. Before that, she worked in patrol, as an undercover officer in vice, narcotics and intelligence, and in crime-scene investigation.
She left the department in 1991 to work as an attorney specializing in labor-relations law. She returned in 1993 to the Police Department, where she stayed until retirement in 2001.
She said her administrative experience includes development of departmental training programs, including field training and communications training.
She said she believes her experience in the various arms of law enforcement would, if she is elected, benefit department operations and investigations.
The sheriff’s job pays $50,000.
Commission
Eastern District
Ruscha, 57, of Verona, is a real-estate salesman for Carol Jones Realtors. He was presiding commissioner for 16 years, starting in 1991. He decided not to run in 2006.
“After 16 years, I decided to give it a rest,” he said. “But I’ve missed it more than I thought I would, and I’m ready to go back after it.”
Ruscha said he is interested in making sure the county’s money is spent as wisely as possible. He said he believes the county is mostly sound financially, except for the 911 system. “The 911 system is not paying its way, so we need to find a way to finance it,” he said. He would like to increase revenue by sustained growth rather than increased taxes, he said.
Breeding, 46, of Aurora, has operated a lawn-care business for 16 years. He has lived in Aurora since 1989 and has attended Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield.
He currently serves by appointment on the Aurora Airport Board. He formerly ran as a candidate for the Aurora City Council and twice before made unsuccessful bids for the County Commission.
Breeding said he wants to serve as a commissioner “to make sure our county is run right and people’s needs are met, the whole county’s needs.”
He said the two issues important to him are law-enforcement protection and road improvement. Maintenance of roads demands attention because of the increasing cost of paving, he said, and the condition of rural roads that are chipped and sealed or graveled.
He thinks the County Commission should consider how to help the Sheriff’s Department have better response times to calls, he said.
The associate commissioner’s posts pay $29,700.
Assessor
Bowerman, 43, a beef cattle rancher, is seeking election to his second term as assessor.
Bowerman worked in the assessor’s office before being elected to the office in 2004.
He said no issues have surfaced regarding assessments. “I just want to continue the job the way it’s been going,” he said. “You don’t want to fix it if it’s not broke.”
Attempts to contact Sanders were unsuccessful.
The assessor’s job pays $45,000.
Unopposed candidates
The following candidates are unopposed and virtually assured of election. An (I) denotes an incumbent.
Republicans
State Senate, 29th District — Jack Goodman (I).
Commissioner, Western District — Rodney Barnes (I).
Public administrator — Pam Fobair (I).
Coroner — Scott Lakin (I).
Surveyor — Aaron Austin (I).
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