BOLLINGER COUNTY VOTERS AGAIN CHOOSE LAWMAKER

MARBLE HILL - It is understandable that people living in Marble Hill and western and southern Bollinger County might have difficulty remembering who their state representative is.

It's not necessarily due to a lack of interest in government; but more likely because of the fact their legislator in the Missouri House of Representatives changes often.

On Tuesday, voters in the 156th District, which includes Marble Hill and a large part of Bollinger County, will go to the polls in a special election to choose a new representative. This will mark the fourth time since 1983 that voters have participated in a special election to choose a representative.

And, when voters decide between Democrat Mark Hackworth of Piedmont and Republican Bill Foster of Poplar Bluff, they will elect the seventh person to represent them in the House since 1982.

Two of the last six representatives serving the Marble Hill area have left due to redistricting, three have left for higher office, and one was forced to resign after a felony conviction.

The last time the Marble Hill area had a longtime face in the House was from 1972-1982, when the district was included in Marvin Proffer's 155th District.

In redistricting that took effect for the 1982 election, Rep. Gary Smith, a Dexter Democrat, had Marble Hill in his 156th District. Smith had already represented a small portion of Bollinger County.

But Smith had legal problems, and was convicted of a felony in 1983 for stealing funds from a client he represented as an attorney. In fall 1983, Bob Barney of Dexter won a special election to fill out Smith's term.

Barney was elected to a full term in 1984 and re-elected in 1986. But he resigned on June 21, 1987, to accept an appointment from Gov. John Ashcroft as associate circuit judge in Stoddard County.

In early fall 1987, another Dexter Democrat, Jerry Howard, was elected to the seat. Howard was re-elected in 1988 and in 1990. But just one month after the election he won a special state Senate race in the 25th District and resigned his House seat.

A special election was held early in 1991 and Marilyn Williams, a Democrat from Dudley, was chosen to Howard's House seat.

As a result of redistricting based on the 1990 census, Bollinger County was taken out of Williams' district for the 1992 election and became part of the 156th District of five-term state Rep. Joe Driskill, a Poplar Bluff Democrat.

Driskill won the election last November in a district that also included Wayne County and parts of Butler and Ripley counties.

But last April Driskill resigned his House seat to accept an appointment as director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development from Gov. Mel Carnahan.

That set the stage for this month's special election between Hackworth and Foster.

Both candidates say they have encountered some questions from voters who are confused about the revolving representation and whether they intend to stick around for a while. Both also say they have been well received by Bollinger County residents.

"When they elect me, they don't have to worry about a special election any more," said Hackworth. "I'll be satisfied as their representative, and they will definitely know who their representative is."

Said Foster: "They find the changes very confusing and frustrating. They want to know why no one wants them. They ask me as I campaign door-to-door, `If we elect you, will you stay with me?' My desire is to serve the 32,000 people of the district. I want people to know if they elect me they will have a state representative they can call on and who will go to bat for them."