Seven people have submitted letters of interest for an at-large spot on the Poplar Bluff City Council.
The candidates were scheduled to speak Tuesday evening during a special city council meeting.
Individuals interested in the position are: Jennifer Hill; Billy DePew; Marty Paskel; Jonathan Nauser; David Boyer; Ted Liszewski; and Sandra Pratt.
The candidates will replace at-large council member Robert Duckett, who resigned June 16 due to personal issues which had required him to move out of the city limits.
The council accepted letters of interest until Monday, July 10. The council was scheduled to go into closed session Tuesday following the open meeting and vote on the candidates.
Hill has lived and worked in Poplar Bluff for the past 37 years, according to a letter dated June 26. She is a civil court advocate for Butler County courts.
“I have a vested interest in Poplar Bluff and the community, from building and maintaining positive relationships with residents, local businesses, facilities and institutions, and keeping up with local issues involving our community,” she said.
In a letter dated July 9, DePew shared that he moved to Poplar Bluff in 1981, to provide a better life for his family. He worked at SMC Electric as a sales engineer through 2021 and is now retired.
The jobs he has worked make him “a good candidate to understand all aspects of what the city services entail,” said DePew, who has also worked at Briggs and Stratton, Gates Rubber Co. and Lucy Lee Hospital, and served in the Air Force.
Paskel retired from the Air Force in 1997, working in firefighting and crash and rescue for the last 17 years of his career. In a letter dated June 22, he shared that he had worked for Bluff Steel, Nelson Tractor, Gates and John J. Pershing VAMC since coming back to Poplar Bluff.
While he didn’t have any particular goals at this time, Paskel said that he is up to date on all city, county and state taxes and owns his own home in the city.
Nauser is a pediatric psychologist with Saint Francis Medical Center, who said he has been interested in local and country politics since high school.
“I have tried to contribute to the overall positive change in my community on an individual level with my profession... and donating to local nonprofits,” Nauser said in an undated letter. “However, I strive to contribute more...”
Boyer shared that his family has lived in Poplar Bluff for more than 100 years. He served in the Air Force, with the forest service and as a park maintenance supervisor before retiring back home to Poplar Bluff.
“I am very interested in the operation of the city government and would be honored to serve the community by helping to make the best management decisions for our town,” he said in a letter dated June 22.
Liszewski is a founding member of the Liszewski Law Firm, which handles criminal, civil and domestic cases.
Poplar Bluff has been home for 11 years, he said.
“With the development of Interstate 57, I believe this town is in prime position for significant and substantial growth,” he wrote in a letter dated July 9. “In my opinion, we have to be prepared to grow quickly, efficiently and with a vision of the city’s future.”
Pratt is a clinical pharmacist at John J. Pershing VAMC.
“I am a dedicated and driven individual who is applying for the opportunity to utilize my knowledge and skills for the continued growth and success of the city of Poplar Bluff,” she wrote in an undated letter.