Next month, one incumbent and four first-time candidates are running to fill three general seats on the Joplin city council. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro tells us more.

Incumbent Doug Lawson is taking on newcomers Brian Evans, Josh DeTar, Kate Spencer, and Jon Buck to win one of three openings on the city council. In the city election Tuesday, April 5, the first and second-place finishes will be awarded four-year terms. While the individual with the third most votes will earn a two-year period.

This election is the first time Jon Buck has run for office; if elected, Jon says he’ll look to create a more navigable Joplin for all residents. “Connectivity. I really want to see something with the connectivity of our community because the walkability of our community is the blood flow of our community; you don’t see a lively community not moving. That and street lights. Very big on my radar because we have a problem with some drugs, and stuff like that in our community, so I mean, so I want to take that, head-on.”

Jon also wants to address the city’s homelessness problem and make Joplin an easier place to start a new business. Absentee voting in Missouri opened last Friday; in-person voting takes place Tuesday, April 5. For 89 9 KRPS, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro