Months ahead of the next municipal election, a Jefferson City resident has announced her candidacy for Jefferson City Council.
Mary Schantz announced Monday she will run for the Ward 3 City Council seat currently held by Councilman Ken Hussey.
Hussey is currently serving his fourth and final term due to term limits. His seat will be open in the April election. Council members may serve four two-year terms for a total of eight years.
Schantz has been involved in the city in a variety of ways.
Currently she serves as chairwoman of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, of which she has been a member for eight years. She has also been a member of the cycling subcommittee of the city's Environmental Quality Committee.
Schantz has also served as a board member for River City Habitat for Humanity and the University of Missouri Cole County Extension.
She has been a Court Appointed Special Advocates volunteer and volunteers at the Wolfner State Library for the Blind. Schantz is a board member of Jefferson City Hands Together, a nonprofit organization that helps lift individuals out of payday loan debt and break the cycle of predatory lending, according to her candidacy announcement.
In her professional life, Schantz was executive director of the Missouri Alliance for Home Care, which represents home health and hospice companies.
Schantz said she chose to run for City Council after being involved in city-related volunteer positions.
"As I've been engaged more and more in volunteer activities through the city and organizations that work with the city, I've seen the importance of the City Council, and I feel like I can make a difference," Schantz said. "I think I would be effective."
Historic preservation and environmental quality are important issues for Schantz. She is interested in projects that make the city more pedestrian- and bike-friendly, like the Greenway trails.
"I'm excited about the possibilities that we have," Schantz said.
Although official candidate filing with the city is not yet open, Schantz has filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
No other candidates have announced intent to run at this time.
Each year, one council member from each of the city's five wards is up for election.
In 2021, Hussey, Ward 1 Councilman David Kemna, Ward 2 Councilwoman Laura Ward, Ward 4 Councilman Carlos Graham and Ward 5 Councilman Mark Schreiber will end their current terms.
Kemna was first elected in 2017 and re-elected to his second term in 2019. If he chooses to run, Kemna could be elected to his third term.
Ward was elected to her third full term in 2019 and could run for a fourth and final term in 2021.
Graham was elected for his final term in 2019. His seat will be open in this election.
Schreiber was elected to his third term in 2019 and could run for a fourth and final term in 2021.
Official filing for the election will open Dec. 15 and close Jan. 19, 2021. The election is April 6, 2021.
Before a candidate files 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.
Candidate endorsement forms, links to DOR Form 5120 and other pertinent information are found on the city clerk's "Elections" page.
This article was edited at 11:17 a.m. Dec. 16, 2020, to clarify Mary Schantz's role on the Environmental Quality Committee.