YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
One new member and two incumbents won their bids for the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education at the polls on April 2.
Danielle Kincaid and Dr. Maryam Mohammadkhani got the nod to retain their seats on the SPS board, and Susan Provance was chosen as a newcomer, according to unofficial election results posted by the Greene County clerk’s office. Voters were asked to select three board members out of seven candidates.
Provance, a retired teacher and coach, received the highest vote tally, with 13,082 votes, or 18.03% of the total. Kincaid, partner at The Elder Law Group LLC and SPS board president, came in at 16.9% with 12,255 votes and Mohammadkhani, a retired pathologist, received 15.5% with 11,306 votes.
The list of SPS board candidates, by votes, is below:
The SPS Board of Education has seven members, including Judy Brunner, Kelly Byrne, Steve Makoski and Shurita Thomas-Tate, who were not up for reelection on April 2.
City of Springfield ballot measures
Two city of Springfield proposals on the ballot were approved by voters.
Voters were asked to weigh in on whether to double the length of the mayor’s term and revise the city’s code of ethics.
Question 1, regarding the code of ethics update, passed with 11,814 votes, or 76.5% of the total. Question 2 on mayor terms got the nod with 8,455 votes, or 53.5% in favor, according to the Greene County clerk’s office.
With the approval of Question 1, city employees will be granted a legal defense and due process if ethics violations occur, and safe harbor provisions if they were acting in good faith on a prior written advisory opinion from the city attorney, according to past reporting. Previous language allowed only for automatic termination of city employees with an ethics violation, while the passed legislation allows for a review process culminating in a range of disciplinary actions up to and including termination.
Question 2’s approval extends the mayor’s term of office to four years from two years. The measure goes into effect with the 2025 mayoral election, meaning it will not apply to current Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, who is to set to conclude his fourth two-year term next year.
The mayor will be limited to serving two terms, meaning eight years will remain the maximum length of service.
Boards of education
Beyond Springfield, a handful of school board elections were decided on April 2, according to unofficial election results posted by various county clerks throughout the area.
For Nixa Public Schools, Joshua K. Roberts and Jason Massengale won, with 38% and 30.5%, respectively. Megan Deal and Elizabeth Dudash-Buskirk also were in the running.
Ozark School District board candidates James Francis Griffin and Dustin Kirkman were elected with respective 27% and 25.5% of the vote tallies. Patty Quessenberry and Jason Newman Shaffer also ran.
Matthew Young and Amanda Gooch took home 36% and 27% of the votes, respectively, to win spots on the Willard Public Schools board. Renee McKelvie and Megan Patrick also sought seats.
Alex Williams and Cole Currier took the top two spots in the Branson Public Schools board vote, with 34% and 30%, respectively.
City roles and marijuana taxes
The April 2 election saw some communities asked to choose members of their city councils and boards of aldermen.
In Branson, Marshall Howden won 65% of the vote for the Ward 1 seat, and Glenn Schulz earned 61% of the vote for the Ward 2 seat.
The District 1 council seat in Nixa went to Zern Ness, with 61% of the vote.
In Ozark, Eddie Campbell won with 62% of the vote for the Ward 3 seat.
In Republic, Garry E. Wilson was chosen with 42% of the vote tally for a four-year term in the Ward 2 seat, and Darran L. Campbell got the nod with 71% of the votes for a one-year term serving Ward 2.
Among mayoral elections, Mark Crabtree won the election in Battlefield with 56% of the tally.
The vote was up in the air in Willard by press time, with Samuel Snider and Troy Smith tied for the mayor’s seat.
Additionally, the cities of Nixa and Republic approved taxes on the sales of marijuana.
A franchise store of a Branson West-based quilting business made its Queen City debut; Grateful Vase launched in Lebanon; and Branson entertainment venue The Social Birdy had its grand opening.
