Rolwing to serve second term as recorder

Mississippi County

CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County Recorder Judy Rolwing will get another term in office.

Rolwing, a Democrat, was victorious over her Republican challenger, Melinda Nelson, 2,739-1,260 in the only contested race for a county office and her first contested election for the job. A single write-in vote was also cast.

"My last race I was unopposed," Rolwing said. "This will be my second term. I went in when they separated the offices." Circuit clerk and county recorder were a combined office in Mississippi County up until Jan. 1, 2003, she explained.

"I feel great, I'm very thankful to the citizens of the county," Rolwing said of her victory.

Other races for Mississippi County offices were effectively decided during the August primary election.

Leigh Ann Colson, who won the Democratic primary in August for the circuit court clerk position against the incumbent, Karen Turley, received 3,091 votes. There were 64 write-in votes for this position.

All other county offices had only incumbents running as Democrats listed on the ballot.

Presiding County Commissioner Jim Blumenberg received 3,068 votes; County Clerk Hubert DeLay Jr. had 3,200; Collector of Revenue Faye P. Elliot got 3,305; County Treasurer Sandra Smoot DeField brought in 3,225; and Prosecuting Attorney Darren Cann received 3,184 votes.

Democrat Lynn Brown, the incumbent running without opposition on the ballot for another term as associate circuit judge for the 33rd Circuit Court, got 3,272 votes with 36 votes being cast for write-in candidates.

Voters in Mississippi County contributed 3,204 votes for Democrat David A. Dolan, the incumbent circuit judge for the 33rd Circuit Court who was the sole candidate for the race.

In a close race, Mississippi County voters chose Democrat Claire McCaskill for U.S. Senator over the incumbent Republican Jim Talent, 2,050-1,983. Libertarian Frank Gilmour followed with 38 votes and Lydia Lewis of the Progressive Party received 27.

The county's voters also selected the Democratic candidate, Susan Montee, as their pick for state auditor with 2,196 votes. Republican Sandra Thomas brought in 1,495 votes, Libertarian Charles W. Baum got 114 and Terry Bunker of the Progressive Party had 44 votes cast in his favor.

While the county's voters favored Democrats for the most part, they did pick Republican Jo Ann Emerson, the incumbent U.S. Representative for the 8th District, as their favorite with 2,887 votes. A total of 1,143 votes went to her main challenger, Democrat Veronica J. Hambacker, and 49 were cast for Libertarian Branden C. McCullough in this race.

Mississippi County voters rejected Constitutional Amendment No. 2 (stem cell research) 1,720-2,313 and Constitutional Amendment No. 3 (tobacco tax) was also voted down in the county, 1,646-2,355.

The county's voters did approve of property tax exemption for veterans' organization, voting 2,177-1,647 on Constitutional Amendment No. 6.

The county's voters were also heavily in favor of forfeiture of pensions for officials removed from office or convicted of a felony, casting 3,120 yes votes for Constitutional Amendment No. 7 and only 712 votes against the measure.

The county was also very much in favor of raising minimum wage with 3,002 votes in favor of Proposition B and 966 votes against it.