Applications for the Ward 4 city council seat opened Tuesday. The seat is being vacated by incumbent Nick Foster, who’s moving to Georgia, where his wife is taking a job at a university.
One Ward 4 resident and former member of Columbia government has already filed his candidacy.
Former City of Columbia Utilities Director Dave Sorrell worked in Columbia government for 24 years before stepping down in 2025. He submitted his application Tuesday morning.
Sorrell said he will focus on infrastructure and what he calls “core services” such as streets, parks, and utilities—as well as the police and fire departments.
“We need to make sure that our infrastructure is reliable, that we’ve done our long-term planning, that we manage our finances responsibly, that we prioritize public safety, that we maintain transparency, that we manage growth," Sorrell said.
As of Tuesday, Sorrell is the only candidate running for the Ward 4 office.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said special elections like these don’t typically draw many candidates and it’s not uncommon for a candidate to run unopposed.
“There have been mostly just one or two candidates running," Lennon said. "There haven't been very many situations where there's been a three way or four way race for these."
Applications for candidacy will stay open until June 2, and the election will take place August 4.
Starting June 10, the Ward 4 city council seat will become vacant until a new councilor is elected in August. Whoever takes the seat will serve until the end of the term in April 2028.
