BENTON -- Voter turnout in Scott County was average with about 15 percent of eligible voters stepping up to the polls during Tuesday's municipal election.
And apparently that was just enough to elect a new mayor in Miner and Morley, pass a school bond issue in Oran and keep familiar faces on the county's school boards.
In Sikeston, Ann Jones and Julie Crader Dolan were re-elected to fill two three-year positions on the R-6 school board, defeating their opponent Scott Crumpecker.
Dolan garnered 782 votes in Scott County and 53 in New Madrid County. Jones received 762 votes in Scott County and 54 in New Madrid County while Crumpecker netted 471 votes in Scott County and 81 in New Madrid County. Sikeston's first citizen-elected mayor under the city's charter form of government, Mike Marshall, was unopposed for another three-year term. He received 693 votes.
Incumbents Jim Terrell, 161 votes, in the Second Ward and David Teachout, 118 votes, in the Third Ward were also unopposed for new terms on the Sikeston City Council.
The Council will elect a new mayor pro-tem and make council member appointments to several city commissions and committees during a reorganizational meeting Thursday.
In a hot race for mayor of Miner, Betty Barnes, 152 votes, ousted incumbent Mitch Thompson, 146 votes, in his bid for another two-year term.
And former mayor Frank Tatum unseated incumbent Donna Thomas, 95 to 81, for Miner's First Ward, two-year term. Peggy Holman held on to her Ward 2 seat on the city's Board of Alderman, defeating Mark Thorne, 69 votes to 49 votes.
A four-way race in Morley for the two-year term as mayor resulted in Kerry Tidwell winning the most votes with 90. Tidwell defeated Sheila L. Scherer, 55 votes; Richard A. Ivester Sr., 12 votes; and Earl Woods Jr., 9 votes. Tony Lackey, 75 votes, was unopposed on the ballot for the Ward 1 alderman seat as was Ron Thomas, who netted 63 votes, for the Second Ward position.
In the Scott County Central School District, voters chose for its two open school board seats Steve Pobst, 170 votes, and Eric Kesler, 133 votes, over Jim O'Neal, 78 votes; Randy Conn, 70 votes; Mary E. Glasper (Moore), 66 votes; and Lisa M. Lewis, 53 votes.
Voters selected Joy Cauthorn, 118 votes, over Roger Manwaring Sr., 45 votes, to represent them for a three-year term on the Board of Directors for Subdistrict No. 4 of the Southern Scott County Ambulance District.
About 78 percent of voters in the Oran R-3 district approved borrowing $2.5 million, including $500,000 worth of zero-interest Qualified Zone Academy Bonds, to build, equip and furnish a new elementary and junior high school including a multi-purpose/cafeteria building and kitchen area; and to complete remodeling and renovations to the existing cafeteria, office, library and computer building including a new library and media center, computer lab, art classroom, storage and handicapped restrooms. A four-sevenths majority, or 57 percent, was needed for passage.
Oran voters also chose Carla Graviett and Marty Priggel for the district's two Board of Education seats. Graviett, 385 votes, and Priggel, 466 votes, defeated Eric Michelson, 304 votes, and Patrick D. Young, 173 votes.
In the city's election, Tom Urhahn, 243 votes, was re-elected as mayor of Oran in a tight race against Ron Diebold Jr., 234 votes, and Ben Evans, 46 votes.
Oran's First Ward voters chose Billy Senciboy over Harold Landewee, 44 to 25, to represent them on Board of Aldermen; Second Ward residents selected Mike McVay over incumbent Gil Roslen, 111 to 101; and Jimmy Westrich ousted Ray Dean Hanselman, 72 to 68, for the city's Third Ward seat. Gaylon Bryeans II, 77 votes, was unopposed in the Fourth Ward as was city collector incumbent Marcia Roslen, who nabbed 447 votes.
In Benton, Geri Lynn Hennemann, 11 votes, was unopposed for her First Ward seat on the Board of Alderman, and Jim Arteme, 23 votes, was the sole candidate for the Second Ward.
In Blodgett, Kenny Plunk, 13 votes, and Richard Riley, 13 votes, were the only candidates for the two open Board of Trustees positions.
Bobby Ledure, 13 votes; Dwayne Vetter, 12 votes; and Alan Wright, 10 votes, were the only candidates for the three two-year terms on the Commerce Board of Trustees.
Derek Mills, 27 votes, and Dale Keith, 21 votes, were the only candidates for the two two-year positions on the Vanduser Board of Trustees.
No candidates were on the ballot for Haywood City's two open seats on its Board of Trustees and for Diehlstadt's three open seats on its Board of Trustees. Scott County Clerk Rita Milam said write-in votes for the two villages will be counted today.
In Chaffee's race in the First Ward for the two-year term, Leon "Lum" Stricklin, 32 votes, was chosen over Harold Butch Cobb, 19 votes. In the Second Ward, Loretta "Retta" Mohorc received the most votes with 43 followed by Bob Sullivan, 31, and Charles "Sean" Huey, 15. Voters in the Fourth Ward opted for Jesse Jack Nordin, 81 votes, over Paula Hicks, 74 votes. Mike Jobe, 60 votes, was unopposed in the Third Ward.
Two seats on the Chaffee R-2 School District Board of Education went to Jamie (Wessel) Nix, who received 259 votes, and Mark Perkins, 240 votes. Their opponent, Donna Cannon, nabbed 116 votes.
Larry McClain and Wendy Pennington, who received 81 votes each, were Kelso's only candidates for the two open seats on its Board of Trustees. Also 99 percent of Kelso voters approved a four-year 13-cent increase in property tax per $100 assessed valuation for general municipal purposes/fire protection.
Scott City residents voted against imposing a 5 percent tax on telecommunication service providers, 454 "no" votes to 60 "yes" votes.
Scott City had single candidates for the following city council positions: Ward 1, Bill Schwartz, 161 votes; Ward 2 (two-year term), Jim McCarty, 75 votes; Ward 2 (one-year term), John Crail, 73 votes; Ward 3, Kirk Lewis, 99 votes; and Ward 4, Ronald Worl, 62 votes.
In the R-1 District (Scott City), Keith Simpson, 439 votes, and Gary Miller, 232 votes, defeated Nancy Caldwell, 226 votes, and Roger Buckner, 141 votes. Simpson and Miller will fill the two open seats on the district's school board. These results, which are unofficial, were provided by the Scott County Clerk's office.