Cape Girardeau County Commission candidates talk issues at GOP forum

The three Republican rivals for one Cape Girardeau County seat faced off for the first time publicly Thursday night, answering questions on a new courthouse, ways to boost the economy and how they would apply their GOP principles to county government if elected in the Aug. 7 primary.

And there was one query that eight-year incumbent Jay Purcell labeled "one of those gotcha questions."

Purcell and the two men trying to claim his 2nd District seat -- former Cape Girardeau City Council member Charlie Herbst and banker Moe Sandfort -- fielded questions for about 45 minutes Thursday night at a candidates forum hosted by the Southeast Missouri Pachyderm Club. The men answered seven questions, which were sandwiched between introductions and closing statements as the candidates tried to distinguish themselves based on their political views and ideas for the future.

The contest will be decided Aug. 7, as the Democrats fielded no candidate. The 2nd District is made up of the city of Cape Girardeau.

"When I started campaigning eight years ago, I said I was not a part of the good-old-boy network," Purcell said. "That was somewhat prophetic, it appears."

Purcell said the commission has run "smoothly and without controversy" for the past 18 months, which coincides with the departure of Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones.

The two men who hope to persuade voters to give them a shot touted their professional careers. Herbst worked for 10 years with the Cape Girardeau Police Department and the last 12 years in sales management for an information technology company, which he described as a "good mix" of public and private-sector experience. Herbst said he has "strong family values." He also served eight years as a councilman and recently led a committee that looked at Cape Girardeau's noise ordinance.

Sandfort listed his 47-year career in the banking industry, filling executive roles at banks in St. Charles, Mo., Cape Girardeau and West Plains, Mo., before returning to the area in 2005. Sandfort intends to retire at the end of the year.

"I am conservative in my voting and my values," Sandfort said. "And managing $100 million in assets is no small task, either."

At center of some of the questions was the proposed idea of a new centrally located county courthouse in Jackson. The county currently maintains two courthouses, including the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau. All of the candidates agreed it was one of the biggest issues facing the commission.

Herbst said he had some concerns about not having a courthouse in Cape Girardeau and the commission should look at where the most dense population exists and where the majority of services are. Herbst pointed out he lived in downtown Cape Girardeau, adding "it's handy to go up to Lorimier Street to take care of some business."

The courthouse annex houses several county offices.

Sandfort called it a "tough decision" with a "big dollar figure." Sandfort said he still has a lot to learn about the issue before making a decision.

Purcell said he has been advocating for the project for five years -- to build a new consolidated courthouse in Jackson that would save taxpayers $1 million a year.

"It was my idea to begin with, and I'm going to continue to preach it," Purcell said.

On the topic of attracting new business and industry to the area, Sandfort said the commission needs to be more aggressive than it has been in the past. Purcell said that a regional industry park needs to be a priority, perhaps in cooperation with three or four nearby counties. Having the proper infrastructure in place to draw in new business and help existing businesses grow is key, according to Herbst.

When moderator Dave Hitt asked if the candidates favored or opposed allowing county employees to unionize, Purcell called it "one of those gotcha questions." But he said he basically had no problem with it and if the county provided a safe workplace with competitive salaries, it should never be an issue.

Both Sandfort and Herbst said they opposed the idea.

"The expense related to that is more than we pay now, and we'd be getting less," Sandfort said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

236 S. Broadview St., Cape Girardeau, MO