COUNTY OFFICES UP FOR GRABS

JACKSON -- Incumbents in most of the eight Cape Girardeau County offices up for election next year say they plan to run again.

Voters next year will consider candidates for two-year terms on the county commission and for four-year terms in the offices of assessor, treasurer, sheriff, coroner, public administrator and surveyor.

The candidates' filing period begins Jan. 14 and concludes at the end of March.

Several potential candidates for sheriff have said they plan to wait for incumbent Norman Copeland to decide if he'll seek another term. Copeland has said he'll decide early next month.

He's the only candidate for a major county office on the ballot this year that hasn't strongly indicated plans to seek re-election.

The county commission appointed Copeland sheriff in 1986 following the resignation of Dwight Thomas, who had served nearly 15 months.

Copeland in November 1986 was elected to the remaining two years of Thomas' term, and in 1988 was re-elected to a full four-year term.

First District Associate Commissioner Leonard F. Sander, who first was elected to the commission in 1976, said Friday he is "leaning in the direction of running again.

"There are still some factors that could change my mind, but at this point I am leaning toward running," said Sander.

He said he'll make a final decision soon and likely will file on the first day, as he had done in past years. "I enjoy the work and have enjoyed it ever since I started," he added.

Second District Associate Commissioner E.C. Younghouse, who, like Sander, is a Republican, also, is expected to file for another term.

Younghouse was appointed to his post in February 1988 after J. Ronald Fischer resigned to become Cape Girardeau's city manager. Younghouse was re-elected in 1988 and 1990.

The 2nd District for the 1992 elections will include all of the city of Cape Girardeau except Ward 17, which will be in the 1st District. The 1st District also includes the city of Jackson and the remainder of the county.

Assessor Jerry Reynolds, a Democrat first elected in 1976 upon Ed Blumenberg's resignation, said he expects to file for a fifth term.

"As it stands right now, I'm sure I will be a candidate," he said.

Republican Treasurer Bill Reynolds, who was first elected in 1980 when he unseated Democrat Jack Piepenbrok, said he will file on Jan. 14. "I definitely plan to run," he said.

The offices of coroner, public administrator and surveyor are part-time positions that pay low salaries. The surveyor is paid only for work performed for the county, but in recent years the surveyor's office hasn't been used.

The present surveyor is Republican Carlston E. Friese, who was elected to the remaining two years of a term in November 1990. No one filed for the office in 1988 and the position remained vacant.

Public Administrator John Ferguson and Coroner John Carpenter, who both defeated Democrat incumbents in 1988 to win their respective positions, are expected to run again.

Carpenter said he has enjoyed the job and believes he has earned another term. "I will be seeking the support and consideration of the voters of Cape County again," said Carpenter. "I have gotten a lot of good response for how I have handled the office the last three years and will have to give it a try again."

Harold Cobb, who lost the office to Carpenter in 1988, has said he plans to run again next year.