While Monroe County is preparing for an April 1 election with local races that are fairly mixed in terms of competitiveness, nearby communities right outside the county find themselves in a similar situation.

New Athens is set to see some notable changes among its village government, as current mayor Joe Behnken is not running again and will instead be replaced by either Adrienne Hurst or current village board vice president Steven M. Newbold.

The village will also see a contest within the board of trustees as incumbents Deborah Politsch and Arlene Geppert, and newcomers Richard Stoops and Ryan Heincke compete for three open seats.

Among New Athens’ other races including various township positions, park district, library district and fire protection district, there is no contest. The school board race in New Athens sees only one individual, Erin Wilson, in the running while two seats are open.

For Dupo, Dawn Keys runs unopposed for her current mayoral seat while Mark Nadler faces no competition for village clerk.

The race among Dupo’s village board of trustees is somewhat crowded as Tammy Taylor, Allan Moallankamp, Peter Urke, Ronnie C. Dell, James R. Lord and James Paxton are all running for only three seats.

No competition is set for Monte Miller, Linda Stoll, Jaci Durbin DeClue and Jenny Agnew Bennett as they run for the four open Dupo School Board seats.

There are races for positions in Sugar Loaf Township in St. Clair County, with no candidate on the ballot for township assessor. There is competition between John Kenner, Lawrence D. Hofstetter, Dennis Rheinecker, Ron McClenahan and Sheryl L. LaCroix as they are vying for four township trustee seats.

In Millstadt, the mayor and clerk positions are already set on the ballot with incumbent Michael H. Todd and Christine “Crissy” Pipik running unopposed for those respective positions.

Michael D. French, Mark Todd, Dustin Trankle and Travis W. Jones are running for the three available village trustee roles.

The Millstadt Township races are quiet, with no one on the ballot for township assessor. The library district is also not competitive.

There is, however, competition among the Millstadt School District with six candidates and only four seats. In the incorporated area of the district, Stephanie French, Don Pellmann and Benjamin Jenkins are running alongside Gregory Sangiolo, Paige Elbe Brown and Brian T. Triska in the unincorporated area of the district.

Spring elections will be decidedly quiet in Red Bud,  where there are city council and school board candidates running unopposed.

For the city council, Bryce Parsons is seeking the Ward I seat being vacated by Ben Schwartzkopf, Bill Hanebutt is seeking re-election in Ward II, Curt Guebert is seeking re-election in Ward III, and Patrick Mueller is seeking the Ward IV seat being vacated by Mike Rheinecker.

For the school board, Carol Harms, Todd Birkner and Abby Carter are seeking four-year terms with one other four-year seat not having a candidate. 

James Hohgrefe is seeking a two-year seat on the school board.