Jim Branch, a veteran of two terms on the Jefferson City Council, values teamwork and being part of a winning team and plans to apply for a third term when the filing period opens Tuesday.
"I'd like to be part of keeping the good things going that are happening in the city now," he said.
Branch is a lifetime resident of the city's far east end. He lives on Hillview Drive with his wife of 26 years, Julie. Their daughter Morgan is a local insurance agent and their son Matthew is a sophomore at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. For the past 10 months, he has been an inside salesman with Knapheide Truck and Equipment Center, following a 22-year career with Riley Chevrolet.
He said he first became interested in city government six years ago and was encouraged by numerous friends to pursue a seat on the council because of his common sense, personality and background in sales.
"It kept coming back to my common sense," he said. As a 1st Ward councilman, Branch is chairman of the Administration Committee, sits on the Public Safety Committee and is the council's liaison to the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Commission and the U.S.S. Jefferson City Committee.