Taney and Stone County Election Summary - Courtesy KRZK
The most expensive items on the Tuesday ballot in Taney County is the proposal to fund the East/West Corridor between Kirbyville and Hollister, and the Hollister School District's initiative to fund an early childhood center. Proposition A is a question to create a quarter-cent sales tax to pay for the East/West Corridor Road. If approved, the sales tax would expire at the end of 2022. Hollister's bond election is a question of incurring indebtedness and issuing general obligation bonds in the amount of 6-point-5 million to construct an early childhood center including pre-K through first grade classrooms and daycare facilities. If approved, the debt service levy of the school district would actually decrease from 81-cents to 76-cents per one hundred dollars assessed valuation. In Stone County, the Reeds Spring School District is proposing a 5-point-8 million dollar bond issue to construct additional classrooms and a multi-purpose facility at the high school, make repairs and renovations to the middle school, purchase property currently leased to the school district, and purchase additional school buses. If approved, the school's debt service levy would remain unchanged at 76-cents.
School board elections in Taney County include several contested races. Two Branson School Board members will be elected from a field of four that consists of Eric Alms, Peter Marcellus, Wendy Davison and Scott Winslow. Likewise, Forsyth School District voters will select two candidates from a list of four that includes Jack Johnston, C. Jack Baker, Tom Nowacki and Christina Schanda. Forsyth voters also will be asked to choose between Alissha Woody and Joe Allen to serve a one-year term on the school board. The Bradleyville School Board candidates are Randall Cummings, Darla Day and Jackie Adams. Two will be elected to serve three-year terms. Taneyville candidates include Austin Sutton, Steve Firestine and Matthew Smith. Only two of these candidates will be elected to the school board. Hollister School District voters will elect two board members from a field of three candidates that includes Dan Crisp, Rose Shook and Carl Bonnell. Spokane School District voters will be asked to choose two out of the three candidates for school board, These include Sharon Bishop, Shane Brown and John Armitage.
Every school board election in Stone County on Tuesday is a contested race. In each school district, voters will be asked to select two candidates to serve three-year terms on the school board. Reeds Spring candidates include Richard Porter, Steve Morey and Karla Bauer. The Galena School Board candidates are Angela Stewart-Foster, Steve Miller and Ben Sorrell. For the Blue Eye School District, candidates include Tim Reagan, Joe Watson, Brian Mitchell, Jimmy Kiser and Lisa Blevins. Shell Knob candidates are Susan Beck, Lisa Fielder and Bob Stewart. Crane School District voters will decide between Bruce Steele, Andy McCullough and Dennis Ford. School board candidates for Clever School District are Justin Peebles, Christopher Garrett, Shawn Akins. Hurley School Board candidates include Mary Flood, Regina Clark Elkins and Stacy Whittington.
Taney County voters will decide a number of contested municipal elections, but not in the cities of Branson and Hollister. Running unopposed are Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley, Ward One Alderman Bob Simmons, Ward Two Alderwoman Sandra Williams and Ward Three Alderman Stephen Marshall. Scott McCaulley is running unopposed for Hollister Ward One Alderman; likewise for Ward Two Alderman, David Willard, and for Municipal Judge, Randy Anglen. The city of Forsyth has two contested aldermen races. Running in Ward One are Joe Allen and Ronald Potter. In Ward Two, Michael Chipman and Larry Hertel. Rockaway Beach Mayor Larry Cline is seeking reelection, but faces opposition from Sue Riggs and Rick Reding. Fred Cravens is running unopposed for Ward Two alderman, but the race for Ward One alderman will be decided between Stuart Driewer, Judy Daniel and Robert Amos. Seven residents of the Village of Merriam Woods have signed up for three available seats on the board of trustees. Candidates include Jack Reese, Greg Buresh, Francis Diggins, Robert Parker, David Winne, Michael Wilkerson and David Pendleton. Aaron Rogers and Barbara Wehrman will be elected to the Village of Kirbyville Board of Trustees. Kirbyville also has a ballot iniative to increase the village sales tax from one-half percent to one percent for the purpose of operating, staffing and maintaining the village. For the Village of Bull Creek, Mary Mink and Jody LeMaster are running for the two available seats on the board of trustees. Three folks have signed up for three seats available on the Bradleyville Village Board of Trustees... John Combs, John Cook and Brandon Burkhart will fill these vacancies. And two elections for Public Water Supply District No. 1... In sub district number two, voters will choose either Rick Davidson and Todd Brown to serve as director, and in sub district number five, the race is between Thomas Nowacki, Benjamin Waldbuser and Keith David.
Contested municipal elections in Stone County include the Village of Indian Point Board of Trustees where two candidates will be elected from a field of four. Candidates include David Canaday, James Daily, Brett Stump and William Turner. The village also has a ballot proposal to establish a half-cent sales tax to provide revenue for transportation purposes. Voters will choose between John Battistoni and Mack Lawson to serve on the board of directors for Southern Stone County Fire Protection District. North Stone Northeast Barry County Fire Protection District voters will elect two directors from the four candidates on the ballot. These include Leon Cunningham, Jerry Brown, Carl Moore and John Mackey. Minnie Hazzard is running unopposed for Ward One Aldermen in Kimberling City. Ray Sims is running unopposed for the one-year term of Ward Two aldermen, while three candidates have filed for the two-year term of Kimberling City Ward Two Alderman... Jerry Sullivan, Albert Bray and Pancho Pancheff. Rhona Phipps is running unopposed for Ward Two Alderman in the city of Reeds Spring. Branson West voters will have the opportunity to vote on a natural gas franchise for the city. Nita Jane Ayres is opposing Mayor John Rhodes in his bid for reelection, and Alderman Bruce Jenkins has a ballot opponent who filed under the name "Shazer."
