Voters elect 3 TRCC trustees

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo.--The candidates who expressed their support for the direction administrators are taking at Three Rivers Community College during their campaign won by more than 200 votes each for the two seats up for grabs on the board of trustees.

Phil Davis defeated Darrel Reed by 1,229 to 994 votes for Sub-District Three and Randy Grassham ended up with 903 compared with Dr. Gene Oakley's 641 for Sub-District 2 on Tuesday.

Davis, a Doniphan business owner, was a member of the search committee responsible for hiring Dr. Devin Stephenson as community college president less than a year ago.

"I look forward to working with the administration and the rest of the board members, and hope to do a good job representing my district and trying to move Three Rivers forward," Davis said.

Reed, who is also a Doniphan businessman, was unavailable for comment this morning.

The victor, Davis, said he could not have asked for a more "clean" campaign against a "good friend," whom he was actually roommates with after college.

Davis was elected to serve a six-year term for Ripley County, filling the vacancy left by Steve Cookson.

"My whole goal is to make Three Rivers a better place every day," Davis said.

Grassham, who works at a family business in Van Buren, was elected for a two-year term. He has already served as a Three Rivers trustee for more than a year, having been temporarily appointed to replace his father, the late James Grassham, who died midway through his fifth six-year term.

"I'm just very humbled and thankful that people would put their trust in me like that and I hope I can live up to their expectations," Randy Grassham said.

His opponent, who carried Ripley and Wayne counties but lost in Reynolds, Butler and Carter, said he wishes Three Rivers well.

"Obviously the people across the sub-district felt like the other gentleman [Randy Grassham] was doing a good job and didn't want someone new," Oakley said. "I would like to thank those who did vote for me that perhaps knew me well enough to acknowledge my dedication to education throughout my career."

Grassham called Oakley a "worthy opponent." He proceeded to say he knows it is a challenging time economically for higher education institutions throughout Missouri, but he is confident that Three Rivers has strong leadership in place.

"So many people are working overtime, the morale is so high out there and it's just a joy to be a part of it," Grassham said. "We're taking baby steps with an ambitious long-range plan, and that's what it's going to take in order to survive, and I'm confident that we will."

Unchallenged for Sub-District Four, Darren Garrison, the Wayne County circuit clerk, will take the seat of Bill Hollida, following an 18-year run by the incumbent. In a previous interview announcing his filing, Garrison said he would be "honored" to become Hollida's successor.