Fourth Ward residents can pick up packets to run for Columbia City Council

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Residents of Columbia's Fourth Ward will be able to pick up packets to run for a seat on the Columbia City Council Wednesday, following Nick Foster's resignation.

The Columbia City Council on Monday night decided that a special election will be held to find Foster's replacement on Aug 4. Those who wish to run for the Fourth Ward council seat must have at least 50 signatures from residents of that ward.

The packets can be picked up at the city clerk's office in City Hall from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m., excluding weekends and City holidays, according to a city press release.

Foster – who was reelected to his position during the spring 2025 election – announced on his social media that his last day will be June 12. He was first elected to the council in 2022. Foster said he is resigning in June because his wife got a job with Georgia State University and will be moving to Atlanta.

Foster's replacement will serve the rest of his term, which is set to end in April 2028.

Sharon Jones, an attorney who is on the Planning and Zoning Commission, announced her intent to run in a Sunday social media post.

Candidates can officially begin filing on Tuesday, May 12, and interested parties will have until 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, to file, according to city documents.