ShawneeDispatch.com

Voters are likely to see some familiar faces in the April 2010 elections for Shawnee City Council, though this time, they’ll be running for a three-year, rather than a four-year, term.

The Council voted in July to move Council elections to odd years. The move would not require the city to pay for the cost of the elections since the county conducts elections at the same time. So those who decide to file for Council in 2010 and 2012 will run for a three-year terms, and odd-year elections for four-year terms will begin in 2013.

Tuesday, Dec. 1, is the first day candidates can file with the city for the 2010 election, and some of the Council members whose terms are expiring have committed to running for office again.

Council member Dan Pflumm, Ward I, said he didn’t have a comment at this time concerning his intentions to run for re-election. Pflumm is a lifelong Shawnee resident and has been on the Council since 2002.

Ward I covers northern areas of the city east of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks that run east of Woodland Drive. Most of the ward is north of Shawnee Mission Parkway, though west of Pflumm Road its boundaries change so that its farthest southern boundary is Johnson Drive.

Council member Frank Goode, Ward II, who has been on the Council since 1978, also said he wasn’t ready to make his announcement yet.

“I have no comment at this time,” Goode said.

Goode is lifelong Shawnee resident, a veteran of the Korean War and served on the Planning Commission before being elected to the Council.

Ward II covers some of the most densely populated areas of the city, east of Pflumm Road and mostly south of 55th Street. The ward goes as far south as 71st Street west of Nieman Road and 75th Street east of Nieman.

With one term on the Council under his belt, Kevin Straub, Ward III, said he plans to run for a second term.

“I am a conservative voice and I will continue to be a voice for the taxpayer on the Council, which I think the city needs,” he said. “I voted against the mill levy increase and the 5 percent franchise tax placed on the taxpayers’ gas and electric bills.”

Straub said he would like another term to work against any further mill levy increases, to make sure the city is more efficient and to keep trash services in the city open to several haulers.

In addition to his time on the Council, Straub has been involved with Sacred Heart Knights of Columbus Council, Catholic Charities and several committees for the Kansas City regional Association of Realtors. He also ran unsuccessfully for the De Soto USD 232 Board of Education in 2007 and 2009. He has been a Shawnee resident since 2002.

Ward III covers western Shawnee north of Shawnee Mission Parkway and west of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks, as well as areas west of Kansas Highway 7 south of 67th Street.

Also at the end of her first term on the Council, Michelle Distler, Ward IV, said she has decided to run again at the urging of residents in her ward.

“Several constituents have contacted me and have asked me to run again because they feel I best represent their interests and want me to serve another term,” she said.

Though this was her first term in a political seat, Distler has been involved in the community in many other ways, volunteering for organizations like Will to Succeed,

Adopt a Highway, Special Olympics, Field of Dreams Pet Adoption, the United Way and Harvesters. She is a life-long Shawnee resident.

Ward IV covers areas along the southern border of the city, south of Shawnee Mission Parkway and the Ward II boundaries and as far west as K-7.

The 2010 spring general election will be on April 6. Anyone who files for City Council must be a citizen of the United States, a registered voter in Shawnee and a resident of the city and the ward for which they are filing.

Candidates interested in running for City Council office can obtain a Candidate Filing Packet from the City Clerk’s Office. The packet also has been available to download from the city Web site since Oct. 15.

The city accepts filings Dec. 1 through noon Jan. 26, 2010. Candidates may not file or withdraw after the deadline. To file, candidates must fill out a Declaration of Intention, Statement of Substantial Interest and Biographical Data form, all found in the filing packet, along with information about filing Campaign Finance Reports.

Candidates also are required to pay two fees: a $10 filing fee, made payable to the Johnson County Election Commission, and a $35 report fee, made payable to the City of Shawnee.

All forms and fees should be filed with the City Clerk’s Office. The clerk will forward the forms and fees to the Johnson County Election Commission and to the Kansas Commission on Governmental Standards and Conduct.

Candidates can avoid the $10 filing fee if they file by petition. They must have signatures of 1 percent of ballots cast in their ward at the last general City election, which would be 18 for Ward I, 14 for Ward II, 13 for Ward III, and 14 for Ward IV. The report fee of $35 is still required.

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