The Gadfly is a series of letters offering commentary on local issues and published in the Warrensburg Gazette.

Right now, it looks like there will be few interesting contests in the August primary. With only a few days until the filing deadline (March 26th), our local incumbents are unopposed. Only one Democrat and one Republican have filed for each of the two major open seats, 121st District State Representative and Presiding Commissioner. Several additional county offices are up for election this year, but the county website doesn’t identify them. Consequently we won’t have a lot of choice and it doesn’t appear that there’s much of an effort to provide any.

There are three established political parties in Missouri, based on votes in the 2000 election. Candidates for the Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians don’t have to petition to get on the ballot; candidates of other parties do. Candidates for the legislature must file in Jefferson City, while all other candidates file at the County Clerk’s office in Warrensburg. Candidates for most offices must pay a $50 filing fee, which goes to the party, not the state. However, you can run for your party’s county committee for free.

Most candidates have to file a financial disclosure statement, but they don’t have to form a committee unless they plan to cross certain limits for campaign contributions and expenses. – details are available at the Courthouse.

If you want a voice in the debate, a chance to have some fun and get involved, or just provider an additional alternative, look into filing for some office. Here’s how to choose your party: If you agree with everything our current state representative stands for, you should file as a Democrat. If you agree with everything our former U.S. senator (now Attorney General) stands for, you should file as a Republican. If you disagree with both of them, you might consider filing as a Libertarian. Politics is too important to be left to the politicians!