By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorThree candidates are seeking the Warrenton mayor position, including two who currently serve on the board of aldermen.Eric Schleuter and John Clark are currently representing Ward 2 and Ward 3, respectively. A third candidate, Wayne J. Smith, also is on the ballot. The race will be decided April 7.Clark has been on the board for 13 years, while Schleuter is in the middle of his first two-year term on the board. Smith has not held an elected position.The winner will serve a two-year term and succeed Mike Shilharvey, who was appointed by aldermen to fill the position in December in the aftermath of Jerry Dyer’s passing. Shilharvey was selected over Clark, who as board president assumed the role of leading the meetings.At the time, some aldermen preferred having an interim mayor be someone who was not on the board and was not interested in running for mayor in the April election.Depending on the outcome, Schleuter will appoint a replacement with board approval or he will finish out the final year of his term. Clark’s term on the board ends this month and his seat is currently being contested by three candidates.The Record recently sat down with the candidates listed in the order they appear in the ballot to discuss their priorities and vision for the city’s future:Eric SchleuterSchleuter, 40, is currently a deputy with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. He previously was a police officer in Warrenton.Schleuter was elected to the Ward 2 seat last year. He feels he is ready for the challenge of being in the mayor’s seat.“I think you could spend 12 years in office and that does not mean you have the experience to be mayor,” Schleuter said. “I am not being pushed by anybody. I want what is the best for the town. I want us to grow in a positive manner. What I mean by that is I don’t want to see us explode, but I want us to not be benign.”Schleuter said one of his priorities is to improve the city’s relationship with the business community and form better relationships with other local governments. He also supported the city’s move to contracting with a third party to oversee and manage its athletic programs. He also is happy to see a downtown street festival be revived.Schleuter also said he would also push for more town hall meetings in an effort keep residents informed. He recalled that an informal meeting to announce the city’s change in direction for its recreational programs was well received last year.“We need to have transparency,” Schleuter said. “I don’t know if we have confidence of the public. I really do feel we need to gain more of that back. If we make decisions and people are not backing us, we are getting nowhere.”John ClarkClark, 61, feels his experience is far superior to the other candidates and that should help him in his quest to fill the mayor’s seat. He has represented Ward 3 since 2007. His first stint, as an alderman in Ward 2, was from 1989-1994.He formerly owned and operated Big B Truck Lines for 30 years and spent 40 years in the transportation industry. That experience running a business also has helped him during his lengthy tenure as an elected official, he said.Clark was encouraged to run for mayor prior to Dyer’s passing, he said.“I thought it was time to step up and go ahead and run for mayor. Mayor Dyer taught me an awful lot and I respect him so much. When I told him I was going to run for mayor, he said, ‘I would be very disappointed in you if you didn’t.’ ”Clark says he is an advocate for economic development and backs the efforts of the Greater Warren County Economic Development.“I have learned over the years it’s not all about Warrenton,” Clark said. “I like to think in broader bases and the Warrenton area. If it’s not in Warrenton, having it in our area is good for everybody. It would be a dream of mine to keep kids in the area.He wants to provide affordable city services for residents and businesses. He is also glad to see the city is improving its image by becoming more user friendly and approachable than maybe what it seemed a few years ago.“I want to help taxpayers get best value for the dollar,” Clark said. “Even as alderman, I tried to look a t the whole city of Warrenton and not just my ward. I tried to take care of the whole city.”Wayne SmithSmith, 28, is employed at Imo’s Pizza in Warrenton. He has run unsuccessfully in recent years for positions on the board of aldermen.Smith did not return messages seeking further comment on his campaign.Two Warrenton aldermen set sights on mayor’s seatJohn ClarkEric SchleuterWayne Smith