Circuit Judge Ed Page, who was seeking his first full-term in office, has retired.
Gov. Mike Parson appointed Page as circuit judge in March 2022 to finish out the last four years of Darrell Missey’s term after Missey became the state’s director of Children’s Division in the Missouri Department of Social Services. Prior to becoming circuit judge, Page had been the Division 11 associate circuit judge since 2018.
Circuit Court Judge Vic Melenbrink said Judge Ed Page told him on April 28 that his final day would be two days later, on April 30. Melenbrink said he called Page on May 1 to confirm the resignation.
“I actually called him today, and he confirmed that he had sent that letter, and it was effective yesterday afternoon,” Melenbrink said on May 1. “I don’t know who the letter goes to, maybe the Secretary of State, but that’s just a guess. It needs to go somewhere, probably either the governor or the secretary of state.
“I don’t want to get too much into the details of it, but the general gist is, he decided he wanted to spend more time with his family.”
Page of Festus could not be reached for comment.
Melenbrink said the announcement creates a vacancy in the Division 2 Circuit Court, which should be filled by Gov. Mike Kehoe. The Governor’s Office and the Secretary of State’s Office did not immediately respond to the Leader’s request for information about how an appointment would be handled.
As of Monday, Page is still listed on the ballot for the Aug. 4 primary election. He has no challengers in the Aug. 4 or Nov. 3 elections.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, write-in candidates are not allowed in the primary election but write-in candidates may file for the Nov. 3 election by 5 p.m. Oct. 23.
“When I talked to (Page) today, it was a very brief conversation, just to confirm the timing of his retirement,” Melenbrink said. “We did not discuss the ballot situation. It’s certainly something I’m interested in, but I did not inquire about that.”
Page, a 1983 Festus High School graduate, earned a law degree from St. Louis University and was in private practice before he was elected associate circuit judge. He had also served for 13 years as municipal judge of Crystal City.
Reporter Teresa Inserra contributed to this story.