LEE CHOSEN STODDARD SHERIFF

Bernie Police Chief Arthur "Sug" Lee was elected sheriff of Stoddard County Tuesday, defeating Steve Fish, a former deputy with the sheriff's department and current Dexter Police Chief.

Lee, who won with about 52 percent of the vote, said Tuesday night his election is "a dream come true. It's something I've wanted for 18 years."

In other Tuesday elections in Southeast Missouri:

Poplar Bluff voters approved a 65-cent school property tax increase, which received 3,946 "yes" and 2,346 "no" votes. It will bring the school district tax levy to $1.90.

Voters in Bernie approved a $550,000 bond issue for an improved water system. The measure passed with 319 "yes" and 112 "no" votes.

A proposed increase in the Bloomfield School District tax levy was rejected by a margin of 943 "yes" and 241 "no" votes.

In Stoddard County, Lee defeated opponent Steve Fish by a vote of 2,811 to 2,617. Lee, a Republican, has been Bernie Police Chief since 1974.

"I didn't make a lot of promises," he said after hearing the election results, "but I'm going to carry out the ones I did make."

Lee, 52, said he'd work on controlling drug problems in the county and try to decrease burglaries.

"Some of that I'm going to have to do myself," he said.

Lee will be sworn in today at 2 p.m. at the Stoddard County Courthouse in Bloomfield.

He began his law enforcement career as a deputy at the sheriff's department in 1973, and joined the Bernie Police Department a year later. His training includes the Missouri Highway Patrol Academy and law enforcement courses at Southeast Missouri State University.

His opponent, Fish, 45, is a former deputy with the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department. He also worked for the Phoenix, Ariz., Police Department and the sheriff's department at Story County in Iowa.

Lee will serve out the unexpired term of former Sheriff Don Mayberry, who resigned amid allegations that he stole from the department. The term runs until Dec. 31.

In Bloomfield, voters rejected a proposal to increase the school district tax levy by $1.67 per $100 of assessed valuation. The measure, which required a majority vote, would have put the district's tax levy at $3.75, plus an additional 35 cents for the district's debt service fund, less an estimated rollback from Proposition C funds of 85 cents. The final tax rate would have been about $3.25 per $100 of assessed valuation.

School officials said the increase was needed to combat several years of declining balances in the operating and teachers' funds. But opponents maintained the increase was more than what is necessary to continue educational programs in the school.

In Bernie, the approved $550,000 bond issue will be used as matching funds for a state grant that will fund water system improvements.

(Information for this story was provided by Julie Bollman and Jay Eastlick of the Southeast Missourian and T.J. Ernst of the Dexter Daily Statesman.)