NEW MADRID, Mo. - School officials watched as the ballots were tallied Tuesday evening to see if voters would give them the go ahead on “Proposition Safe and Secure Schools.” The voters overwhelmingly did.
With an unofficial tally of 814 yes votes to 203 no votes, more than 80 percent of the patrons in the New Madrid County R-1 School District agreed to the district borrowing $8,500,000 with no estimated increase in the district’s tax rate. The money will be used to improve security by providing entry-control areas at the district’s three elementary schools, the Central Middle School and the Central High School along with numerous other improvements throughout the district.
Dr. Sam Duncan, district superintendent, was smiling with the announcement of the vote.
“Congratulations go to our patrons, families, election steering committee, our faculty, staff and administration and our esteemed board of education,” Duncan said. “This is a tremendous victory for our ‘now kids’ and our ‘future kids.” New Madrid County R-1 School District will be safer, more secure and we will be better than our best. We are all winners tonight.”
Municipal elections
Unopposed on the ballot in Canalou were Philip Wilson, who had 25 votes to be elected mayor, and Sarah E. Russom, who had 14 votes cast to serve as Ward 2 alderman. Karen Shipley defeated Brad Heckler to serve as alderman in Canalou’s Ward 1 with a tally of 7 votes to 5 votes.
Catron residents cast seven votes for Mary Trosper and eight votes for Wayne Mims to serve as their trustees.
Gideon residents chose Lawrence “Toby” Jordan as the community’s mayor by casting 111 votes for Jordan and 72 votes for Larry D. Wiggs. Vicki Berry was unopposed to serve on the town’s board in the North Ward and received 87 votes. The South Ward alderman’s slot was filled by write-ins with Dustin Penrod narrowly defeating Dana Gilkey by a vote of 22 to 21.
A write-in candidate will serve as Lilbourn’s next city collector. Virgie M. Johnson received 68 votes to win the seat over Brian Mays who had 40 votes. Larry J. Hamilton was elected to another term as Ward 2 alderman defeating Benji Henry, 30 to 24. Unopposed in their election bids to serve residents of Lilbourn were Robert Taylor, mayor (103 votes) and Terry Hawkins, Ward 1 alderman (65 votes).
Julie Brock won the three-way race to fill the office of mayor in Marston. Brock received 111 votes to defeat Jeremy Ruby, who had 52 votes, and Edward Graham, who received five votes.
Thomas Bud Armstrong’s received 54 votes and R.D. White 48 votes to fill the two openings for alderman at large on the Matthew’s board of aldermen.
More than 56 percent of Morehouse voters gave the nod to a city sales tax proposal with the final tally of 107 yes votes to 83 no votes. In Morehouse’s Ward 1, voters selected Joe Brashears with 66 votes over Dale Graham, who had 63 votes. In Ward 2 Randy Dill will serve another term on the board after defeating challenger Jack Hayes Sr. by a vote of 34 to 26.
With no opposition, Mayor Richard (Dick) Bodi, Ward 1 Alderman Thomas (Tommy) Chism, Ward 2 Alderman Anthony Young and Ward 3 Alderman Ryan Riley were re-elected. The vote tallies were: Bodi, 295; Chism, 78; Young, 76; and Riley, 117.
In North Lilbourn, there were two openings of the board of trustees. Roosevelt Johnson, whose name was the only one on the ballot, received four votes with no other names were written in.
Parma voters in Ward 1 wrote in their choice for alderman with 16 votes cast for Lynda Carol Husted, two votes for Jerry Shaw and one vote for Jonathan Storey. In Ward 2, Lydia Cackowski garnered 35 votes, outdistancing write-in candidates Charles Clifton Taylor Jr., 19 votes, and Nelvia M. Donaldson, five votes.
Portageville voters decided the city should repeal an ordinance which allows consumption or sale of alcohol in public places in conjunction with a temporary permit for sale. The unofficial vote was 191 yes to 155 no. In Portageville’s Ward 1 Dennis McCrate defeated Jessie James by a vote of 95 to 71. Michael T. Johnston, who was unopposed in his bid to represent Ward 2, received 165 votes.
None of the candidates seeking office in Risco had opposition. Paul Hayes had 21 votes electing him to a two-year unexpired term as Risco’s mayor. For the board of aldermen, there were 11 votes cast for Bert Todd to represent the East Ward and Shelia Halford had 11 votes cast for her by the West Ward residents.
There were eight votes cast in Tallapoosa electing Alice Darmofal for mayor.While no one filed for the posts of North Ward or South Ward aldermen, Kelly Deprow had one vote cast in the North Ward and there were no write-in votes cast in the South Ward.
Those Sikeston residents living in New Madrid County followed the citywide trend and selected Brian Self to serve a three-year-term as councilman at large. In New Madrid County Self polled 197 votes and Mallory Whiffen had 91 votes
School Boards
Voters selected Kevin Lawrence, Darren Martin and Rodney Adams to serve as directors on the Gideon School Board. The tallies for the candidates were Lawrence, 189; Martin, 155; Rodney Adams, 140; and Eddy Moore, 87.
In addition to the bond proposal, the three incumbents on the New Madrid County R-1 School Board, Kay Rebstock, John D. Palmer and Danny Parker, were re-elected without opposition. Rebstock had 725 votes, Palmer, 720 votes and Parker, 692 votes
In the Sikeston R-6 School District, Chad Bles Aaron Boyce and Benjamin R. Alcorn won three three-year-terms open on the board. The unofficial tally in the New Madrid County portion of the R-1 District showed 338 votes for Bles; Boyce, 352; and Alcorn, 340. Although the issue passed districtwide, the R-6 patrons living in New Madrid County narrowly opposed the district’s proposal to issue general obligation bonds of $18,600,000 to construct a new elementary school as well as a new building on the high school campus. The final New Madrid County total was 244 yes votes to 247 no votes.
County Clerk Clement Cravens said he was pleased with Tuesday’s voter turnout out of 2,170, which is almost 22 percent of the county’s eligible voters. He noted with the election delay from April and with the concerns about COVID-19, he had worried it could be lower.