School board members, tax issues decided in region

Area voters chose school board members and decided on tax proposals Tuesday, though only about one in 10 registered voters cast ballots.

Cape Girardeau School District

Jared Ritter

Jared Ritter was the top vote-getter for one of three seats on the public school district's board. He received 2,081 votes (27.9%).

Casey Cook also snagged one of the seats with 1,903 votes (25.5%).

Tony Smee

The remaining seat, according to complete but unofficial results, was won by two votes -- Tony Smee's 1,708 (22.87%) to Missy Nieveen Phegley's 1,706 (22.85%).

Ritter and Smee are incumbents on the board.

Oak Ridge

In another close race, Mary Seyer, Thomas Schreiner and Whitney McFall won seats on the Oak Ridge School Board.

Seyer won the most votes, 276 (20.1%). Schreiner tallied 267 votes (19.5%), and McFall finished with 251 votes (18.3%).

Andrew Seabaugh came in fourth in the three-seat race with 248 votes (18.1%), while Lindsay Berry won 228 votes (16.6%) and Pat Hunt finished with 97 votes (7.1%).

Advance

Three choices won seats in a four-person race.

Joshua "Ryan" Schrader earned the most votes, 11 (33.3%), while Chase Von Robins earned 10 (30.3%) and Jeremy Lee Limbaugh finished with nine votes (27.3%).

Tyler Wade received one vote (3.0%).

Delta

Kimberlie Nothdurft, Evelyn Nussbaum and Samuel Below earned nods for a seat on the Delva School Board.

Nothdurft was top vote-getter with 140 votes (29.7%). Nussbaum earned 116 votes (24.6%), and Below received 108 votes (22.9%).

Matt Huffman finished with 102 votes (21.7%).

Perry County No. 32

Jamie Robinson, Nancy Voelker and Ashley Geringer earned seats on the district board.

Robinson was top vote-getter with 911 (28.0%), while Voelker won 879 votes (27.0%), and Geringer won 780 (24.0%).

Kathy Carron finished with 668 votes (20.6%).

Altenburg

Amy Ussery and Jessica Hecht handily won seats on the board, each garnering more than 40% of the vote.

Hecht won 212 votes (43.5%) and Ussery tallied 205 votes (42.1%)

Bleau Deckerd won 69 votes (14.2%).

Oran

Three candidates won a seat on the Oran School Board.

Clare Urhahn was top vote-getter with 276 (29.8%). Vance Todt earned 260 votes (28.1%), and Stephen Peterson won 215 votes (23.2%).

Melody Bradley finished fourth with 173 votes (18.7%).

Scott County R-IV

Jeremy Wade, David Brashear and Kellie Bridges won a seat on the Scott County board.

Wade earned 347 votes (25.6%), while Brashear finished with 333 votes, (24.5%), and Bridges earned 238 votes (17.5%).

Jennifer Candy Ward finished with 174 votes (12.8%), Darrin Blunt finished with 160 votes (11.8%), and Shane Washburn won 100 vote (7.4%).

Voters in the region also decided tax measures for several districts.

Oak Ridge

Proposition A passed with a total of 290 votes to 204 against. The measure will provide funding for teacher salaries and educational support costs through a 65-cent-per-$100-assessed-value tax increase.

Nell Holcomb

Voters in the Nell Holcomb district agreed to Proposition Hawks, a 47-cent tax increase to help fund general operating and capital expenses, including safety improvements, two new buses, curriculum and technology, retaining small class sizes and cushioning the financial hit to the district in the wake of state funding cuts.

Voting for the measure were 334 residents (60%). Voting no were 223 voters (40%).

Delta

Proposition Kids passed with a two-thirds positive vote -- 124 for and 62 against.

Proposition KIDS will not mean a tax increase, but will extend the existing tax levy by seven years, said superintendent David Heeb.

Oran

With nearly 73% of the vote, Oran patrons approved a bond issue for $1.85 million that will not raise taxes in the district.

The funding will complete various projects, including roof replacement at the high school, library and central office; to repave and expand the parking lot; renovations to the science lab and family and consumer sciences room; and an addition to the high school lobby.

Balloting totals

Balloting in Cape Girardeau County totaled 6,518 -- 12% of the total electorate. In Perry County, Missouri, 13.4% of eligible voters cast a ballot. Scott County saw 17.01% of eligible voters go to the polls.