Three Races On Nov. 8 Ballot

By MARK EVANS

STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD

Three Ste. Genevieve County offices will be contested on the Nov. 8 ballot.

In the race for county collector, Kim Gielow is the Republican candidate and Susan Mueller the Democratic candidate. For Recorder of Deeds, Democrat Annette Roth faces Republican Mary Jane Fallert White. In both cases, the current office holders, Collector Claudia Stuppy and Recorder Peggy Yamnitz are not running for another term.

Finally, the leadership of the county government itself is up for grabs. Garry Nelson, presiding commissioner since 2011, is not seeking another term. The Republican nominee is Randy Ruzicka, facing Democratic challenger David Bova.

The six candidates met in a candidates forum, co-hosted by the University of Missouri Extension office and the Herald on Oct. 19. A link is available on the University Extension Facebook page.

County Collector

The county collector race pits Mueller, who has worked in the collector’s office the past 10 years, serving as deputy collector, then chief deputy collector against Gielow, who has worked in banking, as an office manager in a large data entry organization and as a coder at Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital.

Both have been active in the community, Gielow serving as vice president of the county fair board the past three years, and Mueller with the Ladies Auxiliary at Weingarten Volunteer Fire Department and at Ste. Genevieve Catholic Church.

Recorder of Deeds

Fallert White has been a county employee since 2007, serving since 2018 as office manager for the prosecuting attorney’s office. She has 30 years experience as a paralegal/legal assistant.

Roth, meanwhile, has been the deputy recorder of deeds the past 11 years.

Roth has been active in the Zell Area Jaycees, the Ste. Genevieve Catholic Parish and the Knights of Columbus Auxiliary. Fallert White has been active in the Ste. Genevieve Catholic Parish, American Legion Auxiliary Post 150 and American Legion Riders of Missouri.

Presiding Commissioner

Both candidates bring some local government experience.

Ruzicka, a former Ste. Genevieve Ward 4 alderman, has been the Second District commissioner since January 2021. Bova has served as community development administrator for the city of Ste. Genevieve since 2018 and has been president of the Ste. Genevieve R-II School Board since 2019.

Bova spent more than 20 years in retail sales, including Venture, Toys R Us and Kohl’s. He has been on the school board since 2013.

Ruzicka has restored classic vehicles for more than 40 years, ¬owning Thunder Road Garage. For 17 years co-owned and operated a parking lot service in downtown St. Louis for 1 years. He served two terms as alderman.