The Columbia City Council is non-partisan, which means that candidates do not run as members of a political party. Therefore, there are no primary elections for City Council. Columbia is divided into six city wards, numbered 1-6. Council members are elected to three-year terms. Each April, two City Council members are elected. In 2008, the wards with elections are Wards 1 and 5. In Ward 5, Laura Nauser, the incumbent City Council member, will run unopposed. In Ward One, there will be four candidates, including incumbent Almeta Crayton. The election will be held April 8.
Individuals with no links did not have campaign Web sites at the time we looked for them. Check campaign Web sites for current status of campaigns as well as positions on issues, ways to get involved with campaigns, etc. Candidate biographies are included here for all candidates who have supplied us with biographical statements. If you are registered to vote in Boone County, you can find out what city ward you live in by doing a polling place search on the Boone County Clerk Web site.
Biographical statement: I attended Central Methodist College one year and graduated from Mexico LPN School. I have lived in Columbia for 28 years and in Ward 1 for 10 years. I have been active in local issues, served as past VP of the Ridgeway Neighborhood Assoc. and served on the committee to draft the Nuisance Party and Nuisance Property Ordinances recently passed by the City Council. My background, experience and availability will allow me to effectively communicate with the citizens in the 1st Ward and give a voice to the issues that are important to them.