Voter turnout low in Cape council race; better in Jackson

Votes were dribbling in Tuesday in the Cape Girardeau City Council race, with elections officials predicting a turnout of about 8 percent of the central-city ward's 5,000 or so registered voters. Those who did make the effort, though, will be deciding whether Ellen Dillon or Trent Summers will be replacing outgoing councilwoman Debra Tracy.

But in Jackson, voters seemed to be turning out in greater numbers to decide on a $16 million bond issue to build a new elementary school on North Lacey Street.

Cape Girardeau's four precincts in Ward 3 reported low turnout this morning. By noon, only 68 votes had been cast at wards 13 and 15 at Bethany Baptist Church. At St. Andrew, precincts 6 and 14, 104 votes had been tabulated. County Clerk Kara Clark Summers predicted no more than 8 percent of voters countywide would vote Tuesday, though she hoped to see a bump after 5 p.m., when many get off work. Polls are open until 7 p.m.

Both council candidates were seeing their share of supporters Tuesday morning, even drawing an eleventh hour endorsement from Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, who maintains a residence in Ward 3.

Kinder, a Cape Girardeau native, used his Twitter account to endorse Summers: "Supporting Trent Summers for Cape Girardeau City Council. He will serve us well!" Summers, who is married to the county clerk, already had received financial support from several elected Republicans, including sitting state senators Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau and Scott Rupp of Wentzville, Mo.

But Donna Joplin said she cast a vote for Dillon, an instructor at Southeast Missouri State University, after learning that she voted for a Cape Girardeau smoking ban last year. Though the ban failed, Joplin said she agrees that smoking should not be allowed in public places. Joplin also likes Dillon's wait-and-see approach about the urban deer hunting proposal. Dillon has said she would have to see an official deer count before she could fully supported a proposal to allow bow hunting in the city limits to curb the growing deer population.

"Those issues are very important to me, especially the smoking ban," Joplin said.

Susan Joyce Smith also voted for Dillon. Smith said Dillon has been active in the community and Smith has known her for 25 years.

"She's just been an outstanding citizen," Smith said. "She loves Cape. She brought up her children here and she and her husband have just been an outstanding member of the community."

Several declined to say who they voted for after they cast their ballots, although one said he had a Summers sign in his yard. Evan Trump, who lives in Ward 3, said he voted for Summers, who works as an account executive at Red Letter Communications. Trump is also chairman of the county Republican Party. Trump said that Summers has experience in government, from his time spent working in Jefferson City. He also liked that Summers has a conservative bent.

"I think he exhibits and understands the importance of less government," Trump said. "He's a business person. He understands the importance of bringing in and promoting business to the area. That, in turn, brings in revenue dollars for the city. Trent is also a good conservative person who will take conservative principles and apply them to things that get addressed by the city council."

The votes will begin to be counted shortly after 7 p.m. when the polls close.

A proposition on the ballot in the Jackson School District to build a $16 million new elementary school brought 259 voters to the polls in the Byrd 2 precinct by early afternoon,

Election worker Emily Collins said traffic there had been steady since the polls opened at 6 a.m.

Some voters, like Lisa Brown, who lives in the Byrd 1 precinct, said she voted in favor of the bond issue for reasons similar to those given by a committee to promote its passage, like crowded classrooms in some of the district's six elementary schools.

"I really think Jackson needs more schools because so many people are moving to the area," said Brown.

Enrollment data shows the elementary school population has grown by only 36 more students in 10 years, but also that 202 more students are in the schools compared to 10 years ago when accounting for the closing of the elementary annex school in 2007 and resulting transfers to the remaining schools.

The proposition requires a four-sevenths majority to pass.

The new school would have four sections of classrooms for grades kindergarten through five and 10 preschool classrooms. It would be built on 15 acres of wooded property already owned by the district on the west side of North Lacey Street north of Stotler Way.

Staff writer Erin Ragan contributed to this report.

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