Township Officials to be Elected Tuesday

Township officials in Effingham County are among those to be elected Tuesday.

Here's a look at who's on the ballot in township races:

In Banner Township, Republican Delmar Vail is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Linda Soltwedel is unopposed for Township Clerk, Democrat Thomas Laue is unopposed for Township Highway Commissioner, and Democrat Dean Wetherell and Republicans Darren Klepzig, Dwight Klepzig and Derrick Helmbacher are the sole candidates for four township trustee seats.

In Bishop Township, Democrat Robert Beckman is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Democrat Pauletta Norris is unopposed for Township Clerk, Democrat Steven Westendorf is unopposed for Township Highway Commissioner, and Democrats Clara Schmidt, Mark Brummer, Douglas Kinkelaar and Larry Robards are the sole candidates on the ballot for four township trustee seats.

In Douglas Township, Republican John Lange, former Effingham mayor and police chief, is running against Democrat incumbent Ronald Overbeck for Township Supervisor, Republican Peggy Campbell is running against Democrat Mary Jo Althoff for Township Clerk, Democrat James Ping is unopposed for Township Assessor, Republican Michael Williamson, Democrat Kurt Haarmann and Independent Tim Koester are all running for Township Highway Commissioner, and Republicans Wayne Russell and Luke Doedtman and Democrats Nicholas Althoff, Art Kinkelaar, Donald F. Koester and Paul Rexroat are all candidates for four township trustee seats.

In Jackson Township, Republican Lyle Westfall is running unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Deborah Conner is running unopposed for Township Clerk, Independent Jerald Shepard is running unopposed for Township Highway Commissioner, and Republicans Michael Began and Ed Hoopingarner and Democrats Fred Dickmann and Jeff Higgs are the sole candidates for four township trustee seats.

In Liberty Township, Democrat Glen Donaldson is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Melody Lilly is unopposed for Township Clerk, Democrat Shane Brandt is unopposed for Township Highway Commissioner, and Republicans George Kessler and Sarah Randall and Democrats John Sloan and Betty Ann Clark are the sole candidates for four township trustee seats.

In Lucas Township, Democrat Cliff Bierman is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Curtis Stortzum is unopposed for Township Clerk, Republican Rodney Grunloh is unopposed for Township Highway Commissioner, and Democrat Greg Elmore and Republicans Mike Garbe, Ronald Grunloh and Fariss Kirby are the sole candidates for four township trustee seats.

In Mason Township, Republican ValJean Kroenlein is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Democrat Cathy Hille is unopposed for Township Clerk, Democrat Howard Cain, Republican Dale Bushue and Independent Ivan Higgs are vying for Township Highway Commissioner, and Democrats Calvin McGuire, Lee Sims, Timothy Forehand and Morris Suckow and Republicans Larry Wildbur, Lonnie Jansen and Karen Beccue are vying for four township trustee seats.

In Moccasin Township, Republican Jeffery Wendling is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Roy Wendte is unopposed for Township Clerk, Democrat Eric Dial and Republican Douglas Hammer are squaring off for Township Highway Commissioner, and Democrats James B. Tipsword and Danny Simmons and Republicans Leo Stuckemeyer, Willard Kopplin, Daron Stuckemeyer and William Tim Trigleth are vying for four township trustee seats.

In Mound Township, Republican Bernadine Blakely is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Joan Simcox is unopposed for Township Clerk, Republican Allen Schultz and Independent Zaelon "Zig" Rohwedder are vying for Township Highway Commissioner, and Republicans William O. Laatsch, Marlin Will, Donald Zeigler and Charles Scholes are the sole candidates for four township trustee seats.

In St. Francis Township, Democrat Dennis Miller is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Thomas Vahling is unopposed for Township Clerk, Republican Maurus Schumacher, Democrat Carl Deters and Independent Jermika (Mike) Wohltman are vying for Township Highway Commissioner, and Republicans Joseph Thoele and Bernard Vahling and Democrats Christopher Hartke, John W. Miller and Richard (Dick) Kreke are vying for four township trustee seats.

In Summit Township, Republican Lloyd Foster is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Shirley Moore is unopposed for Township Clerk, no one is on the ballot for Township Assessor, Republican Joe Workman is unopposed for Township Highway Commissioner, and Republicans Stephen Davis, Katherine Dickens, Ralph Vogel and Mark W. Workman are the sole candidates for four township trustee seats.

In Teutopolis Township, Republican David Apke is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Democrat Alan Goeckner is unopposed for Township Clerk, Republican Tom Rauch and Democrat Michael Kreke are vying for Township Highway Commissioner, and Republicans Lawrence Funneman, Charles Semple, Roy Weber and Corey Dasenbrock and Democrats John Kremer, Janet Buenker Philip Wendt and Lawrence Koester are all vying for four township trustee seats.

In Union Township, Democrat Jesse Storm is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Democrat Vicky Storm is unopposed for Township Clerk, Republican Wally Brown is unopposed for Township Highway Commissioner, and Republicans Jim Macklin, Darrel Gressel and Robert Klingler are the three candidates on the ballot for four township trustee seats.

In Watson Township, Republican Fred Percival is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Rob Arnold is unopposed for Township Clerk, Democrat Curt Harrington and Republican Stephen Bergfeld are vying for Township Highway Commissioner, and Democrat Jeremy Patnaude and Republican Billy Genaust, Tony Kreke and Sheila Percival are the sole candidates for four township trustee seats.

In West Township, Republican Scott Beal is unopposed for Township Supervisor, Republican Eugene Logue is unopposed for Township Clerk, Democrat Dennis Vaughn, Republican Tom Fitzwilliam and Independent Gregory Beccue are vying for Township Highway Commissioner, and Democrats Mark Holland, Dale McCloy and Carroll Roedl and Republicans Iris Ashbaugh, Wendell Alwardt and Michael Runge are vying for four township trustee seats.

As far as Multi-Township Assessor races, Republican Anthony Witteborg is unopposed in the Banner, Liberty and Moccasin Township District, no one is on the ballot in the Bishop and Lucas Township District, Democrat Candice Smith is unopposed for the Jackson, Mason, Mound and West Township District, Republican Mark Roedl is unopposed for the St. Francis and Teutopolis Township District, and no one is on the ballot for the Watson and Union Township District.

Polls will be open from 6am to 7pm Tuesday.  Absentee voting is underway at the Effingham County Clerk's Office weekdays from 8am to 4pm, and also this Saturday morning from 8am until noon.  We'll have the results live Tuesday night on the radio and on the websites.