Municipal elections draw few candidates

For the upcoming municipal elections, Dora and Floyd have fewer candidates than positions, while Elida has two contested races.

The elections are scheduled for March 2, and write-in candidates can declare Tuesday. If no write-in candidates sign up, the village councils will have to fill the vacant positions by appointment.

In Floyd, there are no candidates, and the mayor and two council positions are open, Village Clerk Toni Whitecotton said.

For Dora, incumbents Mayor Mickey Burkett and Village Councilor Lewis Walker are running unopposed for re-election, said Village Clerk Becky Fraze. Two council positions have no candidates.

Fraze said it’s hard to find candidates because people are content.

In Elida, Village Deputy Clerk Janet Pope said incumbent Mayor Durward Dixon has no challengers to his re-election.

Also, incumbent Village Councilors Steven Barron and Kay Nuckols and challenger Floyd Jones, who works in sales and service for Ecolab pest control company, are seeking the two open council seats. Incumbent Darrell Chenault and retiree Kent Graves are both vying for the position of municipal judge.

Jones said he is running to voice what the people want.

If elected, Jones said, his priorities would be repairing Elida’s roads and possibly improving the senior citizens center. He doesn’t yet know how to pay for the projects, but hopes to get grant money.

“It’s going to take a little bit of everything trying to get the funding for it,” he said.

In his list of qualifications, Jones included the experience of having his own business and daily dealings with the public.

Barron said other village councilors asked him to run again.

He plans to continue making the best decisions for the community, specifically on the budget, if he is re-elected. Barron said he would continue to work with the ongoing projects of renovating the town square, cleaning up Elida and improving the water system, if state money is available.

“I’m very level-head,” he said of his qualifications.

Barron also said he had good communication skills.

In the municipal judge race, Graves said he is seeking the position to stay active in the community. The judge would handle mainly traffic cases and possibly settle the occasional domestic dispute, he said.

“So I would hope to be as honest and fair as I could be,” Graves said of his goals.

As his qualifications, Graves said he was fair-minded and open-minded.

Chenault was not available for comment.