County opens doors to public office candidates Tuesday

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, candidacy filing begins for persons interested in running for elected Vernon County Official positions.

Eight offices will be on the ballot this August, including Northern Commissioner, South-ern Commissioner, Sheriff, Assessor, Collector-Treasurer, Public Administrator, Coroner, and Surveyor.

There are several steps involved in qualifying for an elected position, and requirements in order to file.

Candidates must first pay a $50 filing fee to the Central Committee of their selected party (Democrat or Republican). This fee is waived for township committeeman or committeewomen.

Proof of identification such as a drivers license or voter notification card is also required to file, along with a candidate's affidavit of tax payments verifying all state income taxes, personal property taxes and real property taxes have been paid and are current by the individual running for office. The affidavit is to be completed by the candidate and notarized. The original affidavit is to be filed with the Missouri Department of Revenue. A copy is to be attached to the declaration of candidacy and filed with the Missouri Secretary of State or local election official.

Currently, only one incumbent official has announced her plans not to run for re-election. Vernon County Public Admin-istrator, Virginia Habjan has recently publicized that she will be retiring after almost two decades in the position.

Habjan explained that balancing time between her personal life and work has been a challenge, so she feels as though it is time to make a change. "I've been on call for 20 years, 24 hours a day. Time constraints with this job are very demanding," she said.

A 19-year veteran with the county, Habjan said she looks forward to spending more time at home. "My future plans are to follow our youngest son's activities, visit grandchildren, and work on our farm," she said.

Judy Stark, who works in the Vernon County Prosecutor's Office says she plans to file for the public administrator's seat.

All other county officials with seats up for grabs, have announced that they do intend to file for a return term in their current office, including Phil Couch, collector-treasurer; Kennon Shaw, southern commissioner; Neal Gerster, northern commissioner; David Ferry, coroner; and Cherie Roberts, assessor.

Vernon County Sheriff Ron Peckman, confirmed Thursday that he would have his name on the August ballot. "I definitely want to be sheriff again. I think we're doing good things," he said.

Several officials have reported individuals requesting information regarding qualifications and requirements of the positions soon to be up for election, suggesting the incumbent parties will likely have some competition. Names of those intending to run against current officials will be announced officialy, as they file for candidacy.

Beach also said it may be important for those wishing to have their name on the ballot to appear on the first day of candidacy filing.

Only parties who file on the first day, Feb. 26, are eligible for the name placement drawing. This is a random number drawing for those wishing to run for office, which determines what order the candidates' names appear on the ballot.

Persons filing after that date will have their name added to the bottom of the ballot in a first-come, first-served fashion.

Filing will begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and run until 5 p.m. on March 26.

Candidate's Affidavit of Tax Payment forms are available Online at: http://dor.mo.gov/

tax/candidates/.

Each elected office has individual requirements set forth, which must be met by the running party in order to qualify. For information on qualifications and responsibilities held by each official, interested individuals can contact the Vernon County Clerk's Office at (417) 448-2500 or visit the Missouri Secretary of States Web site at: www.sos.mo.gov.

The Nevada Daily Mail will continue to update as candidates officially announce their campaigns for public office.