An Oakville man who had filed for a seat on the Mehlville Fire Protection District’s Board of Directors obtained a court order last week removing his name from the April 3 ballot.

Jim Burdiss’ petition to remove his name from the April 3 ballot was granted Friday afternoon by St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Michael T. Jamison.

Burdiss, 345 Greycliff Bluff Drive, 63129, had filed for the Board of Directors’ seat being vacated by Daniel Ottoline Sr., who did not file for re-election. Burdiss’ decision not to run leaves Ed Ryan, 10682 Hackamore Lane, 63128, as the only candidate on the ballot for the seat, which carries a six-year term.

Contacted Monday, Burdiss confirmed that he had petitioned to have his name removed from the April ballot and his request was granted. He did not elaborate why, but said he would issue a prepared statement later this week.

Mehlville Fire Protection District Board of Directors Chairman Aaron Hilmer told the Call Monday that after speaking with Mathew Hoffman, the district’s legal counsel, an election still will take place even though Ryan’s name will be the only one on the April 3 ballot.

Ryan had served as treasurer of the South County Citizens for Public Reform, an organization which supported Hilmer and board Treasurer Bonnie Stegman during their election campaigns. Hilmer now serves as treasurer of the organization.

Hilmer and Stegman were elected to the board in April 2005 after running a reform campaign in which they pledged to eliminate fiscal waste and roll back a 33-cent tax-rate increase, Proposition S, that voters had approved in November 2004.

Of Ryan, Hilmer said, “Mr. Ryan was the person who started the whole effort two years ago to help get Mrs. Stegman and myself elected, and we are behind his candidacy 100 percent to help continue the reforms that we started.”