NINE POSSIBLE CANDIDATES AWAIT FINAL REDISTRICTING

Until a panel of appeals court judges comes up with a final map for Missouri Senate districts, potential candidates to succeed retiring state Sen. John Dennis say they cannot make a decision on whether to run.

"I don't think anybody can make any kind of decision on the Senate seat until they see the lines," said former state Rep. Betty Hearnes of Charleston, one of the possible Democrats.

"There are a lot of rumors about what the new lines will look like. It is a little premature to be talking with people about support until you see what the district is and you have time to assess and analyze the new lines."

Mary Kasten of Cape Girardeau, serving her fifth term in the House, is mentioned as one of the top Republican contenders for the seat.

"I certainly am very seriously considering it, but I still want to know what the district will be before making a decision," said Kasten. "I don't have a timetable set, but I won't make any decision until after the redistricting is done."

The current 27th Senatorial District includes the counties of Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott, Mississippi and New Madrid. It is generally considered to have a Democratic tilt. A senatorial redistricting commission left a plan on the table that would have taken New Madrid from the district and added Madison and Perry. Such a district would have a slight Republican tilt.

After the commission deadlocked on a plan, the task of drawing the 34 senatorial districts was given to six state appeals court judges. They have until Dec. 21 to complete their work.

Candidates are concerned about the make-up of the district because it will have an impact on the political leaning of the district as well as the home base they could run from.

Some potential candidates are also weighing such issues as who the other candidates might be and whether they can raise enough money to wage a successful campaign.

Besides Hearnes, other possible Democrats are: Cape Girardeau City Councilman Hugh White, Sikeston Mayor Bill Burch, state Rep. Ollie Amick of Scott City, longtime Democratic Party fundraiser Pat Lea and R. Todd McBride, chairman of the Cape Girardeau County and 8th Congressional District Democratic Committees.

On the Republican side, in addition to Kasten, are Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep and Josh Bill, a Sikeston insurance agent who has been chairman of the committee spearheading the efforts to widen Highway 60.

Of the Democratic candidates, Burch and Lea appear to have all but decided to run.

Burch said he has been getting calls from all over the area encouraging him to run and noted that he has been considering a race for several years. Burch said that while he is leaning toward running, "I'm waiting for the final plan to come out."

However, Burch is analyzing his campaign under the assumption that Perry and Madison counties will be part of the district and New Madrid taken out. "Obviously, I'd like to see the district stay just like it is, but we'll have to wait and see," said Burch.

He owns Burch Food Services, which does business throughout the region, including in Cape Girardeau and Perry counties. Burch has been on the Sikeston City Council for nine years and has served as mayor for six of those years.

Even though he may come from one end of the new district, Burch said he believes his business presence in other counties, his record on the Sikeston council, and business experience will make him acceptable throughout the district.

Lea, who once served as state Democratic chairman, indicated last August that he would likely move to this district and run for this Senate seat. He has been seeking support around the area.

Several others who had been considered a potential candidates last July after Dennis announced he would not seek a fifth term, have ruled themselves out.

One potential GOP candidate was former Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor Larry Ferrell. Ferrell gave the race serious consideration before deciding to accept a newly created position as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Former state Rep. Marvin Proffer and state Rep. Dennis Ziegenhorn of Sikeston have ruled themselves out as Democratic contenders. Proffer, who served 26 years in the House before retiring in 1988, now works as a consultant for Southeast Missouri State University and has indicated he has no plans to attempt a return to the legislature.

Although he has not entirely ruled out a Senate race, Ziegenhorn reiterated Tuesday his plans are to seek a seventh term in the House next year.

Filing for Senate and House offices begins the second week of January.

White, who is in warehousing and transportation supervision for Wetterau Foods, said he is investigating the Senate race but is undecided. He does have a dilemma, however, because the deadline for filing for reelection on the city council is Friday at 5 p.m.

He plans to announce his decision on whether to run for the council this afternoon.

"My feelings are that I want to continue a level of involvement at either the state or local level," said White. "If I decide not to run for the council does not mean I would get into the Senate race for sure, and running for the council would not rule me out of something else."

The problem for White is that he could be in a situation of filing for the Senate during the time he is seeking reelection to the council. "I am trying to evaluate what voters' reaction to that would be," said White.

"That's a big consideration, otherwise I would have filed for the council on the first day of filing."

White said he plans to decide on a Senate race by the first week of January. Although the new district is a factor, the ultimate decision will be whether he can organize a successful campaign, noted White.

"I have a feeling that voters are going to be looking for new answers next year. I am not going to concern myself with who else might get into the race, but rather whether I could successfully run a campaign at that level."

Huckstep said he has received a lot of encouragement to run.

"I am somewhat surprised at the support and encouragement I have received, especially from the south and north parts of the area," said Huckstep.

Huckstep, serving his third term as presiding commissioner, said he currently doesn't have time to focus on a Senate race. "At this time I am totally involved in the county's budget process and don't have time to think about it," he said. "Right now I want to devote all my efforts to the budget. After that is done, I'll take a close look at it and make a decision by early next year."

For Josh Bill, a key factor is whether he can get support from Republican Party leaders in Cape Girardeau County.

"All of us are waiting to see exactly what the courts do in their reapportionment decision," said Bill. "The inclusion of either Perry or New Madrid County will affect the thinking of a lot of people, including mine as well. I have not had a chance to talk to the influential Republican leaders of Cape County and I don't see how anyone can succeed if there is a Republican primary without the support of those individuals.

"I don't know at this point what their feeling is. If it is decidedly in favor of a Cape County candidate, then those conversations will be pretty short. If it isn't the case, then we may have something to talk about."

Bill, who served as U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson's first chief of staff in Washington and has seven years' experience working in the legislative branch in Washington, said the focus of his potential campaign would be to see that Southeast Missouri begins receiving its fair share of state resources for things like transportation and education.

McBride said he has not ruled out running for the Senate seat or even for representative if Kasten runs for the Senate. As chairman of the Democratic Senatorial District Committee, McBride has worked to encourage strong candidates to run.

"As chairman of the district, I want to see that we have a Democratic nominee that is concerned about the whole area, not just a certain region," said McBride.

Amick, whose seat was eliminated up the redistricting process, is contemplating whether to run against Ziegenhorn for the House or try for the Senate seat.

"I'm keeping the options open, but right now I'm pretty well occupied with my duties in the House," said Amick. If Perry and Madison counties are in the new district, Amick said it is unlikely he would run.

Hearnes said having New Madrid County in the district would increase her chances of running, but noted she has name recognition around the area and a background of legislative experience to offer voters.

Once the new lines are drawn, Hearnes said she won't spend much time weighing her decision. "My nature is to make a decision quickly and go, or to make a decision and not go," said Hearnes.