William C. Haggard faces the first challenge during his tenure as mayor of Herculaneum in the April 4 election.
Haggard was appointed to the seat in September 2010 to fill a vacancy, and has run opposed in the April elections in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
This year, however, he has drawn a challenger in Thomas Michael Bess-King, who has been the market master of the Dixie Lee Farmers Market, which was held at Herculaneum City Park, and has been involved in other community projects.
The mayor is paid $150 per month.
HAGGARD, 65, lives at 441 Jefferson St. He is retired after teaching biology at Hillsboro High School. He has a bachelor’s degree in education plus 24 additional hours with an emphasis in biological science and 32 years of teaching experience. Before being named mayor, he was Ward 1 alderman for 6 1/2 years and also served six years on the Dunklin R-5 Board of Education. He has been chief of the Herculaneum Fire Department for 35 years and has been the vice president of Herculaneum Today and Tomorrow since 2004. He also is president of the Herculaneum Historical Society, coordinator of the fire department’s CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), president of the Jefferson County Citizen Corps Council, president of the Jefferson County Firefighters Association, has been president and vice president of the Dunklin R-5 Black Cat Foundation, is a chairman of the annual Dunklin Fletcher Days Fourth of July celebration, has been on the Dunklin R-5 Hall of Fame Selection Committee since 2008, organizes most of the community events, parades and celebrations, fundraises for Kade’s Playground, All Bark Village Dog Park and other community functions and is involved with Herculaneum master plan community events and the Herculaneum Total Solar Eclipse Celebration Weekend. He was a member of the Hillsboro National Education Association for 31 years, where he was president and chairman of numerous committees. He also was a co-chair of the Herculaneum Bicentennial Celebration Committee in 2008.
BESS-KING, 60, lives at 1230 Oakholt Court, with his wife, Ann. He works at the YMCA of Jefferson County as a lifeguard, membership service associate and in the before- and after-school care program. He received a high school equivalency diploma in 1974 and has completed some college classes in computer and business management. He is involved with Schnauzer Ranch and Friends, Pushing Another Wagon to Safety and Schnauzer Rescue. In addition to running the city’s farmers market, Bess-King previously was involved with Herculaneum Today and Tomorrow, the Herculaneum Parks Board, the dog park and the July 4 celebration.
What are the biggest problems facing the city and how do you plan to address them?
Haggard: Overcoming the loss of water and sewer usage fees and tax revenue due to the closing of the Doe Run Co. plant. The city has established an economic development committee, established a Community Improvement District to provide infrastructure for growth, created an economic development video for the city and placed information about commercial properties on the city’s website. The city is working with Doe Run on the repurposing of the buyout area. The city is a voting member of the Economic Development Corp., which works to bring commercial development to the cities in Jefferson County.
Bess-King: Economic development is the biggest problem. To bring companies and businesses into Herculaneum, we need to develop a strong group of individuals, both city residents and outsiders. We will need people who are willing to network with companies and businesses to get them to move to the city or expand their businesses.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Haggard: I have served as an alderman and mayor for 13 years. During this time, many positive changes and improvements have taken place in Herculaneum and I want to continue making improvements. My goals include: Bringing economic growth to the city; adding community events to improve our residents’ quality of life; continue improvements to the city’s parks and infrastructure; creating a positive identity for the city; continuing to improve public safety and creating new ways to acknowledge our veterans, senior citizens and our youth. As a lifelong resident, I can say, “No one cares more about Herculaneum than I do.”
Bess-King: I’m an honest, outgoing, hard-working individual who wants Herculaneum to become a city where people want to live and work and for them to enjoy the trees, parks, walking trails and so much more that our city has to offer. I want to see that all the parks, and other venues we have, keep growing and improving. For this to happen, we have to look into economic development. Our city must grow to survive.