Candidate filing now open for April local election

Monday marked the first day of filing for the April 6, 2021 consolidated election - a very local election that will choose school board members, village officials and community college members in Perry County.

Candidates will have until the end of business on Monday, April 21 to file their petitions to run. All school board candidates (not including community college board candidates) file for office at the Perry County Clerk's Office in Pinckneyville.

All other candidates file directly at the offices of the government they are running for.

School boards

<h3 class="breakHead">District 300: There are three, 4-year seats open on the Du Quoin Unit District 300 school board. Those seats are currently held by Dr. Patrick Riley, Trent Waller and Mark Woodside.</h3>

<h3 class="breakHead">District 101: There are four seats up for election on the Pinckneyville Community High School District 101 school board.</h3>

<h3 class="breakHead">District 50: There are four seats up on the Pinckneyville Elementary District 50 school board.</h3>

<h3 class="breakHead">District 204: There are three seats up on the Pinckneyville Elementary District 204 school board.</h3>

<h3 class="breakHead">District 5: There are four seats up on the Tamaroa Elementary District 5 school board.</h3>

The Perry County Clerk's office is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this week, and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21.

Villages

The municipalities of Du Quoin and Pinckneyville have no offices up for election in April 2021. Those seats were all elected in 2019, and the next election for them is 2023.

However, the four Perry County villages all have elections in April.

<h3 class="breakHead">Cutler: The seat of Village President Joseph Loucks is up for election in April, as are the four-year seats of Trustees Brenda Conway, Shane Helvey and Johnnie Masonn. A two-year term on the village board is also up for election. It is currently held by Trustee Melvin Carrothers.</h3>

<h3 class="breakHead">St. Johns: The seat of Village President John Stanhope is up, as are the four-year seat of Village Clerk Marla Uhles and trustees Ruth Hawkins and Josh King. A third trustee seat, which is currently vacant, will also be elected in April.</h3>

<h3 class="breakHead">Tamaroa: The village president, the village clerk and three trustees are up for election in April.</h3>

<h3 class="breakHead">Willisville: The village presidency, held by Clarence Warner, is up for election in April. So are the four village board seats currently held by Amelia Fraemes, Tracy Reed, Jennifer Ross and Melissa Wilks; although Wilks is resigning immediately and she will not be on the board through April.</h3>

Community colleges

Both John A. Logan and Rend Lake colleges will elect members to their boards in April.

<h3 class="breakHead">Logan College: Three, 6-year terms will be filled in the consolidated election, plus the slot of student trustee. Those seats are currently held by Jacob "Jake" Rendleman, the board secretary, Ray Hancock and Glenn Poshard. The student trustee is Joshua Payne.</h3>

Rend Lake: Two 6-year terms will be filled in April. The current holders of those seats are Dr. David Asbery of Mt. Vernon and Jeff Jones of Whittington.