Election officer releases vital general election information

The Office of the Bourbon County Clerk and Election Officer has released a list of polling places for the April 3 general election, in which area candidates will face off for a number of city and school offices.

Residents who live in the First, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Wards in Fort Scott, as well as North Scott Township voters, will vote at the National Guard Armory, 2301 S. Horton St. Voters who live in the Second, Third and Seventh Wards, as well as voters in Drywood Township and South Scott Township, will vote at Grace Baptist Tabernacle, 502 S. Margrave.

Those voters who live in Franklin and Timberhill Townships will vote at the Mapleton Community Building. Freedom Township and Osage Townships residents will vote at the Fulton Community Building. East Marion Township and Walnut Township residents will vote at Uniontown City Hall. West Marion Township residents will vote at the Bronson Community Building.

Residents in Marmaton Township, Millcreek Township, and Pawnee Township will vote at the Redfield Community Building.

On April 3, three candidates will vie for spots on the Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees; incumbents Robert Nelson and Jim Sather, and local resident Curtis Shankel.

Six candidates are seeking seats on the Fort Scott City Commission, including James Adams, Gary Billionis, Gary Bukowski, Dick Hedges, John Keating, and Thom Prue, but only three of those candidates will win spots on the commission.

Incumbent Bronson Mayor James Nichols will run unopposed on April 3. Six candidates will also challenge for five spots on the Bronson City Council, including John Coons, William Bill Marlow, Lori Stang, T. Maxine Thomas, David Wilkins, and Joyce Wilkins.

Fulton Mayor Minnie Pearl Foster is running unopposed. Vernon West and Teddy Wilson are running for spots on the Fulton City Council. There were no candidate filings for the Mapleton City Council.

Redfield Mayor Gary Judd will also run unopposed. The five candidates for the Redfield City Council are Leland Feagins, Wilma Graham, Jimmie Jackson, Richard Smith and Lewis Williams.

Rick Allen and Steven Headley will each seek to be the next mayor of Uniontown. Five of seven candidates for Uniontown City Council will be elected. Those candidates are James Bradbury, Donald Dennis, Judy Suzanne Franklin, Iva Jean Isaac, Janice Ramsey, Randy Rathbun, and Michael Vanzant.

There were no filings for the USD 234 Board of Education position No. 1. Current USD 234 board members Jim Womeldorff and Janet Braun will each run unopposed for USD 234 board positions No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Current board president Matt Ida will run unopposed for the USD 234 at-large position.

Mark Crystal and Lynne Oharah will vie for the USD 235 Board of Education position No. 1. Lori Stephens will try to oust current board member Jeff Tinsley from his USD 235 board position No. 2 seat. Cynthia Schwalm will look to unseat board vice president John Ericson for the USD 235 board position No. 3 seat. The USD 235 at-large position will be contested between Leroy Hall and Michael Shawn Wilkinson.

Max Krull is running unopposed for the USD 346 Jayhawk-Linn position No. 3 spot. Cheyenne Beisiegel and Tom Foerschler will challenge for the USD 346 at-large position seat.

On April 3, Bronson voters will be asked a special question on their ballots concerning the sale of retail cereal malt beverages and other liquor products on Sundays, with the exception of Easter and Christmas, when those holidays fall on a Sunday. Voters will decide whether or not the sale of alcoholic beverages will be allowed between noon and 8 p.m. on those days.

A majority of Fort Scott residents were opposed to a similar measure in February 2006, voting 643-410 at that time against the idea of allowing liquor retailers the option of selling their products on Sundays in Fort Scott. A vote on the issue came about when local liquor retailer Jim Scott filed a petition in November 2005, according to a February 2006 story in The Fort Scott Tribune.

Scott filed the petition after Fort Scott city commissioners, in October of that year, decided not to adopt an amendment to allow Sunday liquor sales, the story said.

Recent Kansas law includes a statute that gives cities the option of expanding hours for retail liquor stores to sell alcohol on Sunday and on several designated holidays.