The consolidated election is a less than a week away. Candidates in several local races have been getting their names out there, putting up election signage and introducing themselves to voters.
The Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum Wednesday, March 9, at the Robinson Event Center.
After an introduction by executive director Jackie Wengert, highlighting the importance of local elections, each candidate was introduced.
The following is a recap of what the candidates said March 9.
First up, it was mayoral candidates for the city of Perryville.
Mayor, City of Perryville
Ken Baer: “Perryville and Perry County are strong…We are great place to live, raise a family, work. We are strong because of our citizens, close to 20,000 strong (in Perry County). They are hard-working, industrious, charitable and virtuous. We love our country. We love our city, county and we love our freedom. We are strong mainly because we work together as a community for a common purpose to make our city faithful, a great place to live and a wonderful raise to raise a family. Thank you for what you do for our community…I ask for your vote April 5 to help me continue to serve as mayor in your wonderful town.”
Larry Riney: “Thank you all for being here. I’m not a professional so if I stumble bear with me…Good morning ladies and gentlemen of Perry County. My name is Larry Riney and I’m seeking the office of mayor of the city of Perryville. I have been married to my wife Sherry (Check spelling) for 49 years this years. We have three children, one of which resides in Perryville, Dale. Dennis lives in Cape and my daughter lives in Wright City. Sherry and I moved to Perryville 33 years ago from a little town called Lithium. I have served as alderman in Ward 1 for 10 years now, and have been elected by my fellow aldermen to serve as president of the board for four years. I also serve on the Airport Board, the Park Board and as chairman of the Finance Committee for the city. I have a wonderful helper by the name of David Schumer who does a tremendous job on that committee with me.
I’m asking for your vote as to maintain the above average standard of city services that the city provides from your wonderful offices of the police department, fire department, public works and the wonderful and outstanding people at city hall. I find the people of Perryville and Perry County to be hard-working, caring and dedicated to their families. I vow to be trustworthy, respectful and dedicated if elected mayor. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to attend functions of this nature and thank you as the mayor said for all the hard work that you do. This is what makes Perryville. The community is the wonderful people that I see in this room today.
Kenny Tucker: Unable to attend, due to work, according to Wengert.
Alderman, Ward 3
Prince Hudson
Prince Hudson has been in Perryville since 1993. He was employed as a quality control manager.
“I’ve been an alderman for 10 years. I think Perryville is going in the right direction and I’d like to see it continue that way. That’s why I’m running. I can’t top what Larry and the mayor have done as far as public speaking. I thank you all for being here and I’d appreciate your support in the election April 5. Thank you.”
Clinton Rice: Unable to attend, daughter was having minor surgery, Wengert said.
Perry County School District No. 32 board of education
1-year-term candidates
Chris Congiardo: He was born and raised in Chester, then moved to Carbondale to attend Southern Illinois University. His wife Jessica works for District 32.
He moved to Perryville in 2007. Initially, he was small business owner along with his father and brother.
More than a decade ago, he applied for an IT systems analyst manager spot with the Bank of Missouri
Eleven years later, he’s still employed at Bank of Missouri, where he manages a small team.
“The Bank has given me the opportunity, freedom to grow, do the things I really enjoy doing.
I’ve gotten involved in a lot of automation.”
Congiardo and his wife have two children.
“Through my wife working, I’ve been given insight into things that do and don’t work,” he said. “I’ve also been attending school board meetings off and on the past six months, gotten some insight from that.
“The thing that’s really cool is that the school will bring in staff and they’ll show these wonderful things they do for the community. These videos and stories are very uplifting. What I want to seek out and maybe do is I want to enable those as much as I can if I’m elected to the school board. It’s exciting to see these things happen in the community with the students and staff. I appreciate your time. Thanks for having me.”
Melissa Hahn: “Hello everyone. My name is Melissa Hahn.”
“I was born and raised in Perry County. I graduated from Perryville High school 2001. I’m employed with the Perry County Memorial Hospital.”
She graduated from MAC with a degree in licensed practical nursing 2009.
“It’s a wonderful place to work,” Hahn said about working at PCMH. “I’m very fortunate to work with the people I do.
“Over the past couple of years with the pandemic the board of our school district has been put in a very awkward position to prioritize safety over the education of our children. Now, I think that it’s time that we shift back to the education being the main focus since the pandemic is winding down and things are getting better. I would really like to help with this and make it an easy transition. In doing this, I think that support of our teachers and staff is extremely important. They are the building blocks for our children’s future. They need to know that the board and the community have their backs and we will get them the tools and resources that they need. As we move forward the board needs to focus on a commitment to ensure that the parents of children are more involved and for the proper information to be easily accessible.”
Hahn said she had a recent request from her 10-year-old son.
“Since COVID is now gone, can we get to more normal field trips?” she was asked.
“I hope that’s something we can accomplish. Thank you all very much.”
Casey Brewer – did not attend
Three-year-term
Glendon Sattler
“I’m the only one without a school board sign,” Sattler said. “I’m a local business owner, I have kids in the school district. I give away a scholarship every year to a Perryville (High School) and St. Vincent senior.”
Sattler said he volunteers with the local Lions Club, where is does vision screening. In addition, he also serves on the United Enterprise board.
“I, too, am committed to the excellence in our education system and I feel an obligation to continue that…I want to give you guys a commitment, something for you to hold me accountable to if I earn your vote.”
“I’m going to bring a fresh set of ideas and a new perspective to the school board. I’m going to work with those school board members but I’m also going to challenge them on the stated mission that district 32 has, ‘it’s relentless pursuit of excellence in our schools.’ I want to challenge them on that.
For teachers and staff members, I want to give a commitment that I’ll have an open door policy and I’ll schedule meetings to hear from staff members and teachers, schedule them regularly and try to address those issues that they have. For students, obviously we want to give them the best schools and resources, but what we can we do as a school board to provide the best opportunity for them when they leave school. For you as a taxpayer, 65 percent of your (property) taxes go to the school (district). Hold me accountable to managing that money well, to stewarding that money well and getting the best value for that money in our school and
I’m not going to ask for any more of it.”
For you as a community member, I give you a commitment to keep our school independent and most importantly a reflection of our community here in Perryville. The last one…the one I want you to remember me for is I want to support you as a parent and a grandparent in the school, you guys have values that are very important to your families…I’ll give you a commitment that I’ll always uphold that choice for you and I’ll always uphold your voice in the school system, and I’ll always seek out ways to uphold your values in your school system and I’ll never take away a choice that your family has. I appreciate your time, and I’ll support your voice.”
Roger Sample – “Hello. My name is Roger Sample. I’ve lived here about 28 years now. I was in the military for 32 years.”
Sample said he’s raised two kids in the school district, both are now in their 30s.
“I feel really old because I have 10 grandkids. We want transparency in the school district, we want our teachers to be supported. We have a great school here. We have a lot of great ideas. I think moving forward we want to support our teachers, make sure that we have transparency. We have a lot of great ideas. I think moving forward we want to support our teachers, make sure that we have transparency with the parents in the town of what’s going on and what’s happening with the school and why…Sixty-five percent of your taxes go toward the school (district). We want everyone in the community, whether you have kids in the community going to school or not. We want them to know and understand where this money is being spent and how it’s benefitting you.
Over the years I’ve hired several kids coming out of high school for an ice cream we own in Chester.
“Unfortunately, I had to teach them a lot of basic things about work,” Sample said. “I want to make sure that the school district is not only preparing the kids not only for a college education but also for the basic work ethics that they need to have a part-time job or whatever they need to support themselves in college so they’re not lost when they go out into the real world
We need to make sure the school the most basic principles.”
Sample told those in attendance he would be available for questions afterward.
Rich Dix - Born and raised in Perry County, Dix graduated with a finance degree from Missouri State University. He moved to this area 28 years ago. His wife is a graduate from District 32
“We raised three boys that graduated from Perry County District 32,” he said. Dix said his youngest son is now a sophomore at Missouri State University
Dix also serves as the treasurer for Zion Lutheran Church of Crosstown and is the president of the board of directors for United Enterprises, an organization that helps individuals with disabilities “find meaningful work.”
Dix has served as a youth coach in several areas, including T-ball, Little League, travel baseball, travel basketball and American Legion.
He told those in attendance March 9 that he was an incumbent, spending the past six years on the board and in 2022 is seeking another three-year term
Notable accomplishments Dix pointed to included the approvement of a tax levy.
“Most of you have probably seen the improvements that have been made so far,” he said. “There is still a lot to do.”
Dix also mentioned a CSIP continuous improvement plan.
The school asked for members of teachers, administrators, people of the community and parents to join a committee to come up with ideas to help improve the school
“We did an analysis…what are our strengths, what are our weakness, what are some of our opportunities and what are some of the threats. With that we put together a timeline, and it’s a five-year plan, and we’ve already started implementing some of those improvements.”
In recent years, the district has changed from leasing to purchasing (school) buses, which has resulted in an estimated $200,000 plus in savings.
Dix said the board has refinanced bonds to save the district $1.4 million.
Superintendent Andy Comstock plans to retire at the end of the 2022-23 school year and Dix gave an update on that situation.
“(We) just hired a deputy superintendent, Miss (Farah) Jones,” he said. “We’re very excited to get her,” he said.
Dix wants voters to know serving is a big time commitment that he takes seriously.
“Most importantly, people running for school district, in the past we’ve had a few join on and they don’t realize the time commitment it takes and they get on the school board and they realize it wasn’t for them and they drop out,” Dix said. “I have been committed. Thank you for your vote.”
Dominic Blythe: “I’m a lifelong resident of Perryville and Perry County, a graduate of Perryville High School. I believe in Perryville, Perry County. There’s an issue going on right now. The hot spot is the hospital…To see the turnout that has come out and the passion, it shows that Perry County is a strong community. One of the keys to a strong community is a good school district, and I could provide a kind of leadership and help that school district to proceed in doing the right thing, and I want to do that, to give back to the community. I don’t have a particular agenda. If I get elected to the school board my promise to you is to do my due diligence on every decision that has to be made, research it and try to make that decision with the mind of the community the way that I believe that we would want the school district to go…Let me know if there is something that we need to talk about or we need to do, or try to get to the school district, I’d be happy to do it.
“I’ve volunteered over the years for lots of programs…I’m on the advisory committee for the VoTech program over the years…I just love Perry County and want to be a part of it and felt the time was right for me to come out and support the school the boys go to in the town I love. I’d appreciate your vote in April. Thank you.”
PCMH five-year Board of Trustees
Steve Rozier: “Post World War II, the citizens and leadership of Perry County decided to build a hospital for the citizens of Perry County to take care of their health care needs,” Rozier said. “No longer did the people of Perry County have to go to Cape Girardeau or St. Louis for their health care needs.
“Over 15 years ago, the board of trustees, administration and dedicated staff of Perry County (Memorial) Hospital, with the county commission, decided to expand the service of Perry County (Memorial) Hospital and modernize and reshape the campus that you see today…This was a great undertaking for our community. We spent over $25 million to upgrade our facility to a modern health care facility. Also during that time, the board (of trustees) and administration decided to pay off all of our loans during that time. This took the diligence and dedication from our board, administration and staff at Perry County Memorial Hospital.
“I would challenge any of you to look at a community of our size that offers the services that we offer at our hospital that can compete with what we can offer here. We are so lucky, the dedicated staff that we have here…We have a gem of a hospital here. We have the right administration team. We have the right doctors and we have the right services, and we also have the right, dedicated staff throughout the hospital. All of these accomplishments could not have happened without a dedicated board, administration and staff that we have at Perry County Memorial Hospital.
“Look at our hospital and compare it to other communities of our size and you will find that we are next to none and we are striving to do better every day and give the best health care that we can get. We have a hospital that has no debt, dedicated staff and is not in financial trouble.
Health care is changing (with) how the insurance and government and reimburses us, but our hospital is positioned for the best. We have a bright future ahead of us and we will have the best interests of our citizens and community in mind with all of our decisions we make today and in the future. Again, I challenge you to see if you can find a hospital in our size of community that offers the same amount of services that we offer at Perry County Memorial Hospital. Thank you and I appreciate your vote.”
Robin Huber Sims: She told those in attendance that she was born at Perry County Memorial Hospital, and raised in Perryville. She has two grown children and two grandchildren.
One daughter is an ER nurse at St. Francis.
“I’ve had an incredible journey in health care, one where I’ve seen many aspects of the health care fields. I currently work for Crown Hospice as a medical equipment manager.
“I’ve worked in health care since 1984. I’m a respiratory therapist. I’ve listened, communicated and represented my families very well I think, and my patients. I feel it’s important to engage with our community.
“The engagement has been just robust. It’s fun to see. It’s exciting. I like talking about it. I love the passion. It’s been wonderful. My strongest emphasis I think is everyday lives.
“I looked up the mission statement of the hospital here at Perry County which states: to be the first choice for quality health care for our community and with a vision to remain an organization committed to moral values, integrity and character. That’s what I feel that I bring to the community if you elect to the board. Thank you very much.”
William “Bill” Bohnert:
“I’m a candidate for the Perry County (Memorial Hospital) Board of Trustees. I was born and raised on our family farm near Longtown where I currently reside with my wife Lydia. We have four grown children and five grandchildren. I’m a 1975 graduate of Perryville High School. I served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1976-78, and the US Marines 1978-1983.
“I served at the Cape Girardeau police department for 30 years, retiring in 2013. In 2016 I was elected to serve as Perry County Coroner and was re-elected to a second term in 2020.
“It’s been during my term as coroner that was able to view the inner workings of Perry County Hospital. During this time I have come to know that we have a great group of employees at the hospital. At this time I also found out that were a lot of problems on the administrative side of the hospital. That’s why I decided to become a candidate for the Perry County (Memorial) Hospital board of trustees. A possible merger of the hospital brought these problems to light for all those impacted here in Perry County.
“Because of the secrecy surrounding the merger, the administration and board have lost the trust of the taxpayers. We have asked for facts and figures concerning the merger yet we’re continually given the answer that they cannot release the information due to non-disclosure agreements. The citizens were then told that the doctors and administrators have researched the merger and have decided Mercy hospital to be best choice. These same people expect us to trust them with our medical care and lives yet they refuse to listen to our concerns and questions. The hospital has also retained an attorney, Joe Lupica, to build consensus among the citizens which comes at a cost of $42,000 a month for seven months. Joe doesn’t care about Perry County, or the citizens or the hospital. He cares about Joe. I for one won’t be sad to see him go.
“The county commission has also had to retain an attorney to deal with these issues. Guess who’s paying for all this? Yes, you the taxpayers. The citizens still pay $350,000 to $400,000 in taxes every year to support the hospital as well as owning the building and grounds. This hospital’s administration and board have completely forgotten that the hospital belongs to the taxpayers of this county and that they are only the tenants.
“If elected to the board of trustees I will do what I can to provide openness and transparency to the hospital’s administration and board. Of what I have seen, it won’t happen overnight but it will be a start. If a merger is decided to be the best plan for the hospital then it should be an open and fair process from beginning to end to any citizen who wants to be involved.
I would also be in favor of disbanding the health corporation private board and only have the trustee board that’s elected by the taxpayers and managed by the taxpayers.
“I guarantee you I won’t stand to be intimidated by certain members of these boards or (hospital) staff. I can also guarantee you that I will do my best to make the hospital a great place to work and do what is needed to keep our employees here. This in turn makes our community better a place to live, raise our kids and our grandkids.
“I would greatly appreciate your vote on April 5 for the board of trustees position. Even if you don’t vote for me, please get out and vote. My name is William “Bill” Bohnert. I’m a candidate for the Perry County (Memorial Hospital) Board of Trustees. Thank you.”
To view the entire forum from March 9, go to facebook.com/perryvillenews/videos/673109464041120.
