Hank Vogt announced Friday he will run for the open Ward 1 seat on the Jefferson City Council in the April municipal election.
Vogt previously served on the City Council in Versailles, where he grew up. He has lived in Jefferson City for more than 20 years and has been involved in various ways in the community. He has been a Realtor at RE/MAX Jefferson City since 2001 and also served as president of the Jefferson City Area Board of Realtors.
Vogt currently serves on the Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission and the Industrial Development Authority in association with the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce, of which he is a member, along with the Jefferson City East Side Business Association.
Additionally, Vogt has volunteered with the Council for Drug Free Youth and the Samaritan Center and served as president of the Jefferson City Multicultural Forum.
He feels his work in the community will help if he joins the council.
"I think meeting with people in the community, being out and about with these organizations, and knowing what people want and need would help," Vogt said.
His biggest goal as a council member would be to establish open lines of communication between the public and the city.
"I want to make sure the citizens of the 1st Ward have a good line of communication with their city government," Vogt said.
Other goals include helping Jefferson City grow, drawing more businesses to Ward 1 and helping the city through its natural disaster recovery efforts.
Vogt said he had considered running before, but now the timing is right.
"I think it's just part of giving back to the community, and serving the public is what I had an interest in doing," he said.
Current Ward 1 Councilman Rick Prather, along with Ward 2 Councilman Rick Mihalevich, will term out in April, and their seats will be open.
Ward 3 Councilwoman Erin Wiseman, Ward 4 Councilman Ron Fitzwater and Ward 5 Councilman Jon Hensley's seats are up for election, and all three have confirmed they will seek re-election.
City election filing for the April 7 ballot opens at 8 a.m. Dec. 17 and ends at 5 p.m. Jan. 21.
Before a candidate may file for a city office, he or she must have three endorsements from residents of the area the candidate wants to represent. He or she must also present a Missouri Department of Revenue Form 5120 to the city. Candidates are required to sign the form before a notary and file it with the DOR.