Schweiss wins PCMH board position, Perry County residents vote down sales tax increase

Gwen Schweiss has earned a seat on the Perry County Memorial Hospital board of trustees, defeating her opponent Chris Francis by just under 400 votes during the general municipal election Tuesday, April 2.

Schweiss — a medical technologist with 30 years of experience in the field — received 1,608 votes of the 2,857 cast.

"My biggest thing is that I want to represent the people and just be transparent with them on what’s going on because, you know, this is our tax money that is involved, we own our property and it’s worth a lot. Our hospital is the foundation of our community."

Schweiss spent 22 years of her 30-year medical career at the hospital in Perry County and said she feels having a medical professional on the board will help provide insight it doesn’t currently have.

"It’s important because we can make wise decisions about the buildings and the structure, and I know all of that. I’ve been there and worked there," Schweiss said. "I know pretty much every little area and nook and cranny in there, so when they talk about the elevators and things that need to be worked on or contracted, I know about state inspections, I know about different things. I can see that because I’ve been there and I envision that, and I feel like it’s really important that I’ve got that medical background."

Schweiss also serves on the Perry County Health Department board of trustees and believes that experience can translate to the hospital board.

"Our (health department) board is good. We’re solid and we’ve had some challenges ourselves this year on that board that we have worked through," Schweiss said. "A lot of times people don’t see what is being done on these boards, and we’ve made some really important good decisions this year. I feel very confident that I can be that unifier on our hospital board as well to make some of those good decisions."

Other results

Perry County residents voted down a half-cent sales tax to provide funding for a central dispatch of police and fire protection, electing to keep the services in St. Francois County. Of the 2,931 votes cast, 1,567 opposed the tax increase.

Voters approved a proposition that will allow Mineral Area College to borrow $22 million to fund improvements, furnish district facilities, purchase land, refinance lease agreements and purchase and install solar panels. Only seven votes were cast, with six in favor of the measure.

In the county’s most hotly contested race, receiving 4,958 total votes, Kevin Bachmann and Melissa Hahn Carroll were elected to the Perry County School District Board of Education. Bachmann retained his seat on the board with 1,372 votes, while Hahn received 1,307 to edge out incumbent Mark Gremaud by 51.

In Oak Ridge’s school board race, current board president Andrew Seabaugh was voted out as current board vice president. Nathan Schilling and newcomer Ethan Siemer won the two available seats. Only 14 votes were cast in Perry County for the two Oak Ridge school board positions, with Siemer receiving seven and Schilling receiving six.

Curt Buerck won the only remaining contested race, defeating Christopher Wilson for Perryville’s Ward 2 alderman seat by just 15 votes, 190-175. Larry Riney (mayor), Deanna Kline (Ward 1) and Clint Rice (Ward 3) each won their races running unopposed.

The Village of Longtown elected two to its board of trustees, as James Hacker and Robert Leible each ran unopposed.