Election filing deadline Jan. 9 for Joplin council

Jan. 3—There are not enough certified candidates yet to fill both the general seats for Joplin City Council in the April election.

With only six days left before the Jan. 9 deadline for potential candidates to submit nominating petitions, there are four candidates certified for the five council seats to be filled.

There is only one candidate certified so far to run for a four-year general seat. That is incumbent Keenan Cortez.

City Clerk Holly Nagy said Wednesday there is still time for others to come forward with completed nominating petitions.

A current general seat holder, Christina Williams, has not declared interest in reelection.

Those who have obtained petitions for candidacy for the four-year general seats are Joshua Bard, Natasha Klue-Michael and John Thomas Buck.

The incumbent in Zone 2, Charles "Chuck" Copple, has completed gathering the required signatures of Joplin residents to run for reelection. Michelle Cramer also has petitions circulating for Zone 2.

Veteran council member Phil Stinnett has not declared interest in running again for his Zone 3 seat by obtaining signature petitions. William Ryan Jackson has been certified as a candidate for Zone 3, the seat currently held by Stinnett. Another resident, Steve Urie Ross, obtained petitions indicating interest in that seat.

One candidate, Doris Carlin, is certified to be listed on the ballot for the unexpired general seat of Kate Spencer, who resigned last month. There are two years left on that term after the April election. The seat is currently filled until the election by Anthony Monteleone, a former council member who was appointed by council for temporary service.

Others who have picked up petitions for the unexpired general seat are Jeffrey Salem and Joe Johnson.

Candidates must obtain 150 signatures of Joplin residents who are registered voters to become certified. For zone seats, half of those signatures must be from residents of the zone.