By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The filing deadline has passed in Barton County. Anyone interested in running for office and wanted their name on the ballot for this upcoming local election needed to file by 12 p.m. Monday, June 2. While there are a number of positions where no one filed, there are also a handful of races that will be contested.
Barton County Clerk and Elections Officer Bev Schmeidler said while the elections on odd-numbered years and non-presidential elections don’t receive as much voter turnout, oftentimes these are the elections that deserve the biggest participation.
"These are the people that touch are everyday lives," said Schmeidler. "They're the ones that make the decisions for what goes on in our cities, schools, what affects our children and all the things that we deal with."
There are three candidates vying to become the Hoisington Mayor, with E.D. Bivens, Scott Fleming and Chris Kinman all running. Both Davis Jimenez and Alan Moeder filed for Great Bend Mayor. The Barton Community College Board Trustees has seven candidates filed for three open positions.
Schmeidler said the majority of these non-partisan races will be sorted out in the General Election in November. A certain number of candidates have to file to warrant a Primary Election in August.
"Examples of the City of Great Bend and Hoisington where they have the wards for city council, there would have to be at least four people file for one of those wards before a primary was called for," said Schmeidler. "The ones that have at large voting, say they have five council positions, there would have to be 16 filed."
The Ward 2 Great Bend City Council seat has four names on the ballot.
View the list below of the candidate list from Barton County.
Great Bend
Mayor: Alan Moeder, Davis Jimenez
Council Ward 1: Shelly Peacock, Deklyn Craven
Council Ward 2: Stephen Patton, Suresh Bahadur Maharjan, Charlie
Dixon, Jay Luerman
Council Ward 3: Cody Harris, Shelly Arnberger
Council Ward 4: Rickee Maddox
Hoisington
Mayor: Chris Kinman, E.D. Bivens, Scott Fleming
Council Ward 1: Becky Steiner
Council Ward 2: Darren Reinert
Council Ward 3: Mike Davis
Council Ward 4: Aaron Braddy
Ellinwood
Mayor: Irlan Fullbright
Council (vote 2): Jon Prescott, Scott Tillotson
Claflin
Council (vote 3): Doug Hubbard, Robert Gunder, Dorian Hickel
Albert
Mayor: N/A
Council (vote 5): N/A
Galatia
Mayor: N/A
Council: N/A
Olmitz
Council (vote 3): N/A
Pawnee Rock
Council (vote 3): Kerry Rose, Joyce Link, Caitlin Cross
Susank
Mayor: N/A
Council (vote 5): N/A
Barton Community College Board of Trustees
Trustee (vote 3): John Moshier, Will Rains, Kimberly Becker, Carl Helm,
Amber Smith, Billy Eldridge, Kyle Zoeller
USD 355 Ellinwood Board of Education
Board (vote 3): Gary Zorn, Whitney Asher, Stephen Billinger
USD 428 Great Bend Board of Education
Board (vote 3): Chad Burroughs, Sarah Schenek, Barbara Thoren,
Jacqueline Disque
USD 431 Hoisington Board of Education
Board (vote 3): Neil Ochs, Traci Schneider, Derek David, Sara Tarlton
Ellinwood Hospital District
Trustee (vote 2): Aaron Sauer, Austin Asher
Cottonwood Extension District
Board (vote 2): Jenice Williams, Alexa Straub