Voters to decide contested races for county office

By SCOTT MOYERS

Southeast Missourian

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Six candidates are vying for three seats in Bollinger County races for circuit clerk, recorder of deeds and treasurer. And the candidates themselves are touting a need for change or the value of experience, depending on whether they're the incumbent or the challenger.

"Some people in the courthouse have been there too long," said Chester Hayes, the Democratic candidate trying to unseat Republican Naomi Null, who has been county treasurer since 1986.

"Because you have a key to the courthouse doesn't mean you own it," he said.

Incumbents naturally see it differently.

"I know the job," Null said. "I think I have done a pretty good job, and I like the job. I take it seriously."

The most activity in county races in the region looks to be in Bollinger County, where -- in addition to the Hayes/Null race -- Al Zimmer of Patton, a Democrat, is running to unseat Sharon Lutes, a Republican as circuit clerk.

In the recorder of deeds race, there is no incumbent, but there may as well be: Dana Fulbright, the Republican candidate, has been deputy director for four years. Patti Barrett, Fulbright's Democratic opponent, is also no stranger to the county courthouse either, having served for more than 20 years as a deputy court clerk in the circuit clerk's office.

The election is Nov. 7.

Lutes has been Bollinger County's circuit clerk for 12 years after serving as deputy clerk for eight years. She's seen the job change quite a bit over the years.

"When I came here, everything was manual. We typed everything," she said. "Now it's all done on computers."

But Zimmer, who is looking to be elected to public office for the first time, said his background in criminal justice makes him a good choice. The circuit clerk's job includes maintaining all court records, keeping present and archived files, maintaining child support records and summoning citizens for jury duty.

Zimmer, a longtime farmer who still operates a creek-bottom farm on the Little Whitewater, has worked for the past 11 years as a communications officer for the university police. Zimmer has a criminal justice degree from Southeast Missouri State University.

"I like people, and I like dealing with people," he said. "And this is in the criminal justice field."

Fulbright, deputy recorder, is also pushing her experience.

"I've been trained to do everything a recorder does," she said. "I've been doing the deputy recorder job for four years, and I know the job."

The recorder of deeds is responsible for recording land transactions, recording deeds when people buy or sell property, record mortgages and issuing marriage licenses.

But Fulbright's opponent, Patti Barrett says her 20-plus years of experience would help her with the job as recorder.

"I worked in the collector's office for 20 years," she said. "I even worked in the recorder's office for [former recorder] Pete Taylor."

She added: "I love working with the people. It's all I've ever done."

Marble Hill Banner Press editor Brad Holloway contributed to this report.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137

Circuit clerk

Name: Al Zimmer

Party: Democrat

Age: 64

Hometown: Patton, Mo.

Education: Degrees in criminal justice and business from Southeast Missouri State University

Family: Wife, Linda; daughter, Martha

Experience: No political experience. Zimmer has worked at Southeast Missouri State University for the past 11 years as a communications officer for the university police. He also worked for seven years in Lutesville for the Bollinger County Office of Family Service.

Name: Sharon Lutes

Party: Republican

Age: 53

Hometown: Grew up in Bollinger County

Education: Woodland High School graduate

Family: Husband, Gary; four children and 12 grandchildren

Experience: Served 12 years as Bollinger County circuit clerk after serving as deputy clerk for eight years

Recorder of deeds

Name: Dana Fulbright

Party: Republican

Age: 33

Hometown: Zalma, Mo.

Education: Zalma High School graduate, 1991

Family: Husband, Bodie; children, Hunter, 12, Hannah, 18

Experience: Four years as deputy recorder

Name: Patti Barrett

Party: Democrat

Age: 54

Hometown: Marble Hill, Mo.

Family: Husband, Bob; children, Brandi, 31, and Cody, 22

Experience: More than 20 years in county government, including serving as deputy court clerk, collector's office and recorder of deeds office

County treasurer

Name: Naomi Null

Party: Republican

Age: 53

Hometown: Marble Hill

Education: Woodland High School graduate

Family: Husband, Jim, two songs, James and T.J., one grandson

Experience: Been in position since 1986

Name: Chester Hayes

Party: Democrat

Age: 58

Hometown: Poplar Bluff, Mo, now lives in Marble Hill

Education: High school diploma, Gilford High School in Rockford, Ill., 1966

Family: Legal guardian of 13-year-old grandson, Dillan, who is disabled; son, Shawn Hayes, daughter, Ginger Ossig

Experience: Worked technical job at Procter & Gamble, now retired.