Commission, judge candidates share views at forum

Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy talked about recent accomplishments in county government while challenger J.W. Strack voiced concern businesses can�t fill positions because of a lack of skilled workers, during a candidates� forum Friday.

Associate circuit judge candidates Brandon Cooper and Frank Miller also addressed the crowd of about 30 people at a meeting of the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women�s Club at Dexter Bar-B-Que in Jackson.

Incumbant Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner candidate Clint Tracy speaks Fridasy during the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club meeting at Dexter's Bar-B-Q in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

Tracy, who is seeking his third, four-year term, said as presiding commissioner he has worked to �build trust� within county government so everyone works together as a team.

Cape Girardeau County government has saved �hundreds of thousands of dollars in premiums� by becoming self insured, he said.

The commission is moving ahead with plans to construct a new justice center in Jackson, which will relocate the courts out of the county courthouses in Cape Girardeau and Jackson and consolidate them in a single facility, he said.

�We knew we had an issue with two courthouses,� Tracy said, citing inefficiencies involved in having two old buildings.

Tracy said the commission also refinanced jail bonds, which provided a savings to the county, and implemented a program to pave county roads.

He said he believes in �local control� in government and in doing �everything we can to keep taxes low.�

Cape Girardeau County presiding commissioner candidate J.W. Strack speaks Friday during the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club meeting at Dexter's Bar-B-Q in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

Strack said he is running for presiding commissioner to address what he sees as a major economic problem facing the county.

Businesses, he said, are finding it difficult to hire qualified workers. Some businesses have had to shut down �because they didn�t have enough people.�

Strack, who once owned three quarries and still owns a quarry operation, said he, too, has had difficulty finding qualified workers.

�I can�t get people who want to work,� he said.

He decried what he sees as a poor work ethic among many young workers, adding they don�t want to work their way up in a business.

Strack, who also owns a construction company and farms, said, �I know everything from the ground up pretty well.�

He said his best attribute is his ability to �communicate with people.�

Associate circuit judge Division 3 candidate Brandon Cooper speaks Friday during the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club meeting at Dexter's Bar-B-Q in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

As for the contest for associate circuit judge, both Cooper and Miller stressed their legal experience.

Cooper said county residents are fortunate to have two candidates vying for the post.

�I think competition typically breeds success,� he said.

A member of the Moss & Cooper law firm, Cooper said the Division 3 judge has a lot of responsibility.

�I think experience and integrity are prerequisites to this position,� he said.

A judge, he said, should respect �every single person that walks into the courtroom.�

Cooper said a judge must be accountable. He said he would �own up� to any decision, right or wrong, he would make as a judge.

In response to a question, Cooper said as an attorney he has tried only one case before a jury. He said he lost that case in his role as a defense attorney.

Associate circuit judge Division 3 candidate Frank Miller speaks Friday during the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club meeting at Dexter's Bar-B-Q in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

Miller, who is a Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecuting attorney, said he has tried numerous cases. He said he has handled 29 jury trials and prosecuted defendants charged with various crimes, including murder. Miller added he has been involved in more than 75 bench trials.

�I am in court all the time,� he said, adding �experience matters� in this race.

Criminal cases account for about 90 percent of the caseload of the Division 3 judge, he said. Miller added he is well suited for the judgeship because as assistant prosecutor he handles almost exclusively criminal cases.

�My ultimate goal is to protect this community,� he said, adding he would be �a tough but fair judge.�

All four candidates who spoke at the forum are Republicans. The winners of those two primary races in August will be unopposed in the November general election.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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