Heiser, Spratt win Marion County commission races

After a race in which all the candidates emphasized the importance of careful budgeting of Marion County funds, Bobby Heiser was elected and Randy Spratt was re-elected to serve on the Marion County Commission with Presiding Commissioner Lyndon Bode.
Heiser, a Democrat, had 2,439 votes to defeat incumbent Eastern District Commissioner Willy Richmond, an Independent, who had 1,468 votes, and Larry Craig, a Republican, who received 1,837 votes.
In the Western District race, incumbent Spratt, a Republican, received 4,050 votes to defeat challenger Richard (Bill) Goellner, Democrat, who received 2,413 votes.
Heiser expressed “thanks to my two opponents. We ran a really clean race. ...I’m going into the commission with a balanced budget and a good reserve. ...That is because of Mr. Spratt and Willy and Mr. Bode. It does not need a complete overhaul. They have done a very good job.
“The budget is going to be our biggest concern in the future,” Heiser added. “We are going to have less tax receipts and probably more tax delinquencies - people not being able to pay them.
“So we will really have to watch or Ps and Qs, so we don’t overspend,” Heiser said. He expects these economic conditions to continue “for a couple more years” because “I don’t see the economy rebounding anytime soon. ... We are going to see a change, and we need some responsibility ...Everybody is going to have to be more responsible for our own actions, even in the county.
“I have a lot of faith in the county employees, and we will be able to sit down with the different supervisors of the county and talk about some things that might be reduced or saved. We have to retain our employees and have faith in them.”
Craig said, “I appreciate the support I got from the voters. ...I’ve already called Bobby Heiser and congratulated him.”
Craig, who formerly was executive director of the Hannibal Area Chamber of Commerce, added that he now “will take some time to decide what to do next. I appreciated the opportunity to be able to run for the position and would have welcomed the opportunity to continue to promote Hannibal and Marion County as I have done in the past. ...Now I will support Bobby Heiser in his efforts and the commission as a whole as they try to continue to move Marion County forward.”
As he prepares to serve his second term as Western District commissioner, Spratt said he will focus on the budget. “We don’t have our cumulative totals for the first three quarters yet, and we will see where this budget ends up before we make any plans for the next year.
“We will see how the economy goes and our balances at the end of the year, and we will make preparation for next year.
“I am sure each one of the commissioners will have a few pet projects we will see if we can do, but we always have to compromise and see what we can do for everybody.”
Spratt said he “congratulated Mr. Goellner. He ran a good race. And I want to say thank you to the citizens of Marion County for electing me to a second term and having faith in the job I’ve done. Hopefully I will do as well or better in the second term.”
Although Goellner did not win this year in his first bid for elected office, he said he may “give it another try in four years.”
He has worked for the Marion County Highway Department for 21 years, and will continue in this position. He also expressed appreciation for the support he was given in this election.
“With the economy, the budget is going to be a real serious concern,” Goellner said, “and we all hope the economy straightens, but the budget is going to be a high priority” for the commission.