BELLE — Filing opened Dec. 9 for the April 7, 2026, municipal elections, with only a handful of candidates submitting declarations on the first day.

At the Maries County R-2 School District, three seats on the Board of Education will be on the ballot. The positions are currently held by Garret Bialczyk, Ashley Harris and Paul Shanks. Submitting his declaration at 12:05 p.m., Bialczyk was the first to file Tuesday at the Administration Building.

In Bland, several city offices will appear on the April ballot. The Board of Aldermen announced that two full-term alderman seats, one one-year alderman seat and the mayor’s office will be open. Mayor Merrilee Spurgeon encouraged residents to consider filing.

Bland City Hall will accept filings through 5 p.m. on Dec. 30.

Three at-large alderman seats are open this cycle, two for full two-year terms and one for a one-year term. Alderman Shari Morgan filed to retain her two-year at-large seat. Patty Burt, whose two-year at-large seat is also expiring, is not seeking re-election. The third at-large seat, a one-year term, remains vacant. Spurgeon said she intends to file for another term as mayor but had not yet submitted her declaration by The Advocate’s deadline. Alderman Joe Ridener is not up for re-election this year.

Belle saw four candidates file Tuesday morning.

Steve Vogt filed at 8 a.m. for the Ward 2 alderman seat. Jeanette Struemph filed at 8 a.m. for the Ward 1 alderwoman seat. Mayor James (Pudd) Mitchell filed at 9:32 a.m. to seek another term, followed by Jerry Coburn, who filed at 9:45 a.m. for city marshall.

In Vienna, Stephen R. Conrad filed for the two-year Eastern District Ambulance Board seat for MOAD.

Additional filings are expected as the Dec. 30 deadline approaches.