Three current Jefferson City Council members are running for re-election in April in hopes of continuing to serve the community and see current projects through.
Every year, five council seats are up for re-election - one from each ward in the city. This year, three of the five council members are able to run for re-election.
Ward 1 Councilman David Kemna, Ward 2 Councilwoman Laura Ward and Ward 5 Councilman Mark Schreiber have filed as candidates for the April 6 municipal election.
Ward 3 Councilman Ken Hussey and Ward 4 Councilman Carlos Graham will term out and are not able to run.
Kemna is running for his third two-year term representing Ward 1. He was first elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2019. He serves on the council's finance and public works and planning committees and is the council liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
"I wanted to continue to serve the people of Jefferson City and the people of my ward for another two years," Kemna said.
Kemna said he wants to follow through on the Missouri State Penitentiary redevelopment. The council selected a developer for the project back in June, and city staff are currently working to finalize the development agreement.
"I'd like to see that happen within these next four years," Kemna said. "I'd also like to see certain projects on the east side continue to grow, like (Ellis-Porter) Riverside Park and the amphitheater."
Kemna said he would like to continue to serve as representative of the 1st Ward, having enjoyed the first four years.
"I feel like we've made some improvements as a city, and I think the east end has seen some improvements, and I'd like to continue on that path," Kemna said. "That's why I decided I'd like to run again for another two years at least, and we'll figure things out after that."
As of Tuesday, no other candidate has filed for the 1st Ward seat.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Laura Ward has filed for her last potential term on the council. She was appointed to the council in 2014 after former councilman Shawn Schulte vacated his seat. She won her first full-term election in 2015.
She serves on the council's public safety and administration committees and serves as the council liaison to the Historic Preservation Commission.
"The past six years I've really enjoyed not only helping our city but especially my ward, which consists of a lot of our older neighborhoods," Ward said. "I've taken a lot of pleasure out of helping those who need assistance with city issues, whether it's as something as small as a pothole, to even bigger issues."
Ward said some of her priorities are continuing to support the city's older neighborhoods with infrastructure and safety needs.
Ward said there have been several projects she has helped city staff with that she feels were beneficial for her ward, including the Broadway Street sidewalk project and the Dunklin Street bridge.
She said she helped staff on the bridge design to make sure it had the historic characteristics of the neighborhood.
Stormwater issues are another area Ward sees as a priority, especially following flash flooding this past summer.
As of Tuesday, no other candidate has filed for the 2nd Ward seat.
Ward 5 Councilman Mark Schreiber is running for his final possible term on the council.
He was first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2017 and 2019. He serves on the council's public safety and public works and planning committees.
"When I retired, I wanted to continue to be of some value as a public servant because that's what I had done for 42 years in criminal justice and as a law enforcement officer," Schreiber said. "I'm the oldest person on the council - and that's both a negative and a positive - but I think my life experiences have been of value and can be of value."
Schreiber said some of his priorities include the MSP redevelopment, Capitol Avenue redevelopment and continuing to support Lincoln University.
"I want to see within the next couple of years for us to follow through with getting those anchor buildings over at MSP," Schreiber said.
Schreiber said he would also like to see the council address needs for the city's public safety departments, including increasing salaries for the city's police department and investing in body cameras for officers.
Alicia Edwards, executive director of Building Community Bridges, has also filed as a candidate for the Ward 5 seat making it the first, and so far only, contested council race.
Residents Mary Schantz and Derrick Spicer have filed for the open Ward 3 and Ward 4 seats, respectively. Voters will also select a city prosecutor and municipal judge.
The election will be April 6, 2021. Candidate filing ends Jan. 19.