After roughly eight months on the Jefferson City Council, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Laura Ward is facing her first election, though she has no opponent.
Ward is one of many unopposed candidates who will appear on the April ballot. While there is a six-way race for Jefferson City mayor, all five council seats are unopposed, as are the municipal judge and prosecutor.
Ward was appointed to the council in early July, after former councilman Shawn Schulte vacated the seat in May. Since being appointed, Ward said she's been focused on learning the processes and aspects of city government, which also has been her favorite part of serving so far.
"The best part has been learning about all the interesting things that occur in our city and meeting all the interesting people who make our city a better place to live," Ward said.
She said she also has enjoyed getting to know the other council members, noting they all work together to find solutions even when they are not all in agreement about the problem.
Ward said the worst part of serving so far was getting through the most recent budget process. She said it's difficult to hear everything that is needed by each department and know that not everything can be funded. The process of prioritizing needs can lead to tough decisions, she said, but that process also taught her a lot about how each department functions.
When asked what was the most surprising aspect of serving, Ward said she was pleased to learn how dedicated the city staff is to their work. Ward, who has worked with different volunteer groups in the past, said she always had known city staff to be accommodating when needed, but she has been surprised at the speed and depth of staff responses to council members.
"They're very responsive, and they share information to prepare us to make the best decisions," Ward said.
Ward said she wants to continue serving on the council because she's enjoyed the past eight months and has more she'd like to accomplish.
"I feel like I'm just getting started," Ward said. "There's a lot of work to be done, but we've come a long way."
She said there's more work to do on a number of city issues that are important to her, such as the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department's multipurpose building project. The department is working with Lincoln University for a joint facility on Lafayette Street.
Another important issue for Ward is improving Jefferson City's public transit, as well as the upcoming solid waste contract.
In November 2009, the city entered into a six-year contract with Allied Waste for exclusive service to city residents. An ordinance passed earlier that year made the service mandatory, and not subscribing to it is a violation of city code. The current contract with Allied Waste ends Oct. 31 and city staff has been working for the past few months to put together a new scope of services for a request for proposals.