Candidate Filing Still Underway in St. Peters

St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano may not have to do much campaigning in his bid for re-election.

Three weeks after the filing period opened, and just two weeks before the period closes, Pagano is currently running unopposed. Early on, he's not the only one.

Filing for the April 2012 General Election began on Dec. 12, 2011, and so far three of the five races have just one candidate. As of 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 3, the following people have filed for office.

• Mayor: Len Pagano (incumbent)
• Ward 1: John “Rocky” Reitmeyer (incumbent), Dolores Sherman
• Ward 2: Jerry Hollingsworth (incumbent)
• Ward 3: Burton Biermann, Terri Violet, Tommy Roberts (incumbent)
• Ward 4: Patrick Barclay (incumbent)

With two weeks still left to go before filing closes, the races could still change. 

Roberts, the current Board president, said in December he , but didn't throw his hat into the ring until Tuesday afternoon. 

With Roberts filing, the Ward 3 race is shaping up to be the most crowded race for the 2011 General Election. Roberts' top challenger could be Violet. A current member of the Veterans Memorial Commission, Violet against Gus Elliott last spring and —she received 47.23 and lost by less than 100 votes. 

The other challenger in the Ward 3 race so far, Biermann, also  came up short last spring. Unlike Violet, however, Biermann was running in the Francis Howell school board race. In a tight race, Biermann, despite getting more than 2,400 votes, Biermann placed seventh in the race. 

Besides the Ward 3 race, the only other actual race right now is in Ward 1. Incumbent Rocky Reitmeyer will be facing Dolores Sherman. Sherman ran for the Ward 1 spot in 2011 and picked up just 55 votes—placing a distant third behind winner Dave Thomas and challenger John Scherr.

Longtime Aldermen Barclay and Hollingsworth have, so far, no challengers. If no one challenges Hollingsworth, it will mark the second straight year no one has challenged the Ward 2 incumbent. In the only unopposed race of 2011, Judy Bateman won with more than 97 percent of the vote.  

The filing process ends at 5 p.m. on Jan. 17. Interested candidates can file between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday except on holidays. Qualified candidates may file their intent to run for an elected office at . There is a $75 filing fee for the intent to run for an elected office. All open seats are for four-year terms. 

The election will take place April 3, 2012.