Voters in half of JeffersonCounty will select two new members of the Jefferson County 911 Dispatch Board of Directors in the April 3 election.
The agency has two four-year terms open in the election, as neither John Newsome nor Steve Meinberg opted to run this year for the board’s Second District.
Newsome was first elected to the board four years ago and Meinberg, the former undersheriff with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, was appointed to replace his boss, now-former Sheriff Glenn Boyer, after Boyer resigned from the board in mid-2016.
Andy Sides, Brian R. Taylor and Avery A. Fortenberry are running for the two open seats.
The two winners will serve four-year terms.
Sides did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
Voters in the other half of the county, the First District, also will be able to cast votes on April 3, even though only two candidates are seeking the two seats – Vernon Cherry and Gary C. Wright. Cherry is running for his second term, while Wright is seeking a return to the board. He was elected to the board in 2010, but chose not to run for re-election four years ago.
The positions will appear on the ballot because Don Bickowski, the District 1 representative on the Jefferson County Council, also had filed for the seat but dropped out after filing closed. Bickowski cited possible conflicts of interest as his reasons for seeking a court order to remove him from the ballot.
Board members are unpaid.
DISTRICT 2
TAYLOR, 43, lives at 3550 Possum Ridge in Imperial. He has three children. He is a detective sergeant with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and is a member of the Festus-Crystal City Elks.
FORTENBERRY, 71, lives at 6604 Crimson Lane, Barnhart. He and his wife, Jann, have four children and six grandchildren. He owns Avery Contracting LLC, which is involved in business management and property ownership, and previously was a global account executive for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. and AT&T. He received a bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in communications from MaryvilleUniversity in 1982. He is a member of the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustment. He was on the Board of Directors of the Festus Special Road District from 2005-2007 and served for four years on the Jefferson County Extension Service board.
Fortenberry has been involved in various capacities in the past with Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity, Ride On St. Louis, the JudevineCenter for Autism, the Writers Society of Jefferson County, United Way and numerous subdivision boards.
He also is running in the April 3 election for boards governing the Antonia Fire Protection District, the Rock Township Ambulance District and the Fox C-6 School District.
What are the biggest problems facing the agency and how would you address them?
Taylor: Retention of qualified employees is one of the biggest problems. Lowering the turnover rate and keeping the agency fully staffed would reduce overtime and mandatory shifts, thus increasing morale. This would also allow for more training opportunities and the ability to have more employees in this agency get specialized training.
Fortenberry: My goals are to make improvements in staffing and timely location of all calls while interfacing with state, county and city governmental bodies and the public to make 911 the best it can be. I’m conservative and will make sure that we are getting a true dollar’s worth of value for every dollar spent.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Taylor: My many years in law enforcement, including several years as a supervisor, would help in my decision-making and leadership abilities on the board. Working firsthand with Jefferson County 911 Dispatch in my daily duties also gives me knowledge of their job descriptions and responsibilities. My goals are to retain qualified employees, upgrade technology and make advancements in training for all employees.
Fortenberry: I would work for more timely dispatching services.