The Maries County Advocate reached out to April 2 election candidates in Belle and Bland. 

Bland city candidates Sherry Spradling, alderman-at-large, and mayor candidate Lee Medlock did not respond to the questions.

Belle city candidates who responded to the questionnaire included Belle Fire Protection District Board of Directors incumbent Nathan Abel and his opposer Andy Littrell and Caisie Nowack. Littrell has also already won an Ozark Central Ambulance Board of Directors seat by default of an opposer, along with Nowack.

(Candidates answers are listed in alphabetical order by last name.)

Incumbent candidate Nathan Abel for Belle Fire Protection District Board of Directors

Biography: I have been a resident of Belle my entire life. I was born and raised in Belle and I am also employed by the city of Belle. I can’t think of one time where I ever seen myself living anywhere else. I have been active on the Belle Fire Department for almost 10 years where I moved through the ranks from a firefighter to lieutenant and then in 2013, I was appointed assistant chief.

Experience for the position: In 2017, I was appointed by the Osage County court to the Board of Directors for the Belle Fire Protection District along with two others. We as a board, along with everyone involved with the department and countless others, put in several hours and long nights to pass a tax levy to fund the fire department. As I sit on the board of directors and also as the assistant chief of the department, I have a very good view of what the department needs along with experience with handling the department budget, as I handle several department budgets with the city of Belle -- totaling over a million dollars. 

New or existing policy the candidate would like to see implemented or enforced: There are many things that we are currently working on within the department. With the department being tax-based, it allows us to have more income than in the past.  With that being said, the number one priority is putting our trucks and equipment on a rotating schedule to be able to keep up-to-date trucks and equipment to better serve our district. 

What makes the candidate proud to be a community member: We have a great community, and as a firefighter or a city employee, I love being able to assist and protect the community that I love.

Candidate Andy Littrell for Belle Fire Protection Board of Directors

Biography: I have been resident of this community for over twenty years. I graduated from Maries R-2 school. I have been involved with the fire department in the past and would like to be involved with building the district to be the best it can be with a limited budget.

Experience for the position: I have been a city councilman and am currently vice president of the Ozark Central Ambulance District. I have attended the required training for new fire and ambulance board members.

New or existing policy the candidate would like to see implemented or enforced: Since I have been away from the fire department since July of 2018, I am unable to answer this question not knowing what policies are in place.

I would like to see some aggressive recruiting of more volunteers. All volunteer departments are facing a decline in active volunteers. 

What makes the candidate proud to be a community member: This community always pulls together to achieve a common goal.

Littrell and Caisie Nowack are also  running for the Ozark Central Ambulance District (OCAD) Board of Directors. Since OCAD had the same numbers of persons filing as they had seats available, the district will not require a ballot vote in the April 2 elections. However, Nowack also chose to participate in the candidate questions.

Candidate Caisie Nowack for Ozark Central Ambulance District Board of Directors

Biography: My name is Caisie Nowack. I currently reside in Redbird on our family farm with my husband, Jared, and our girls- Brooke & Cameron. My passions includes healthcare and ranching. I am employed with BJC, as a Senior Case Manager for home health. I obtained my RN at ECC, BSN at SEMO, and will graduate soon from Bradley University with a DNP. 

Experience for the position: As for the Ozark Ambulance District, I feel that our community is blessed to have a diverse board of directors with many years of experience. As a board member, I hope to blend my background as a business owner along with a vast knowledge of healthcare, to effect positive changes. 

New or existing policy the candidate would like to see implemented or enforced: Personally, I have served on several committees, while implementing large successful projects in the past 18 years. My goal is to blend small town values with innovative technologies in a cost effective manner to bring our clients the best care possible. The Board looks forward to the continuation of networking and utilizing our community’s resources.

The Advocate is working to obtain responses from candidates not listed and if received will publish online at www.MariesCountyAdvocate.com.