smartDECISION08: SUMMARY OF RESULTS

School Tax Levy: No, 62% School Board City Council

More online
n Searchable results, precinct City Sewer Bond Issue: Yes, 84%
by precinct
n Advice from First Ward County Sewer Bond Issue: Yes, 80%
residents to their new council
member Fire Board: John Sam Williamson, 25%;
n Coverage of fire district and Phyllis Fugit, 23%
hospital board races
Boone Hospital Trustees Fred Parry, 64% Tom Rose, 25% Rosie Tippin, 22% Ines Segert, 20% Paul Sturtz, 60%

FOR COMPLETE ELECTION COVERAGE, GO TO COLUMBIAMISSOURIAN.COM

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ESTABLISHED IN 1908 n www.ColumbiaMissourian.com
Wednesday, April 9, 2008

School tax levy

Ethel Goolsby: She recently
moved to Columbia.
“The issues and the people.”
Christy and Daniel Koenig, 2: This was
Daniel’s second trip to a polling place.
“We came to vote because
we usually do.”
rejected by voters
Superintendent says district needs to find out
what was behind message sent by residents
By AUDREY SPALDING tax levy increase, administrators and school
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com board members said, at least $5 million more
Tracy Greever-Rice didn’t vote against the in benefits, supplies and employees would be
school district; she voted to send a message. cut from the district’s annual budget.
“This is the first time ever in my life I’ve

Why we vote
voted against a school bond or levy,” the 44-
year-old MU researcher said. “The sky won’t
fall — they can put a levy out next year and if
the district is on its historic footing, I am sure
it will pass.”
Her no-vote, Greever-Rice said, was very
much tied to her disappointment in how the
On a rainy election day, the Missourian asked voters district is run.
“The board and the district’s administration
what got them out of their homes and to the polls need to take the parents’ values seriously and
consider them as partners, not as subjects,”
Photos by Catalin Abagiu/Missourian she said.
The choice put before voters in the Colum-
bia Public School District on Tuesday was a
dismal one: If citizens didn’t approve a 54-cent
Voters said no, loudly. In a community with
a history of usually approving school tax and
bond issues, the almost 62 percent rejection is
a strong statement.
“I voted no,” said Steve Fox, 48, a com-
puter systems manager. “I think they need to
change the way they spend money and while I
realize that, I think teachers and staff always
need to be paid more. I think that this was my
only effective method of sending a message
that they need to change the way they spend
money.”
Superintendent Phyllis Chase said the rejec-
tion is “a part of the democratic process. We
understand that. And we have to recommit
Please see levy, page 4a

Crayton unseated in
First Ward by Sturtz
Paul Sturtz won the First Ward
City Council election with
60 percent of the vote.
By JENN HERSEIM
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Paul Sturtz, co-founder of the Ragtag Cin-
emacafe and the True/False Film Festival,
will become the First Ward’s new City Coun-
cil representative after defeating three-term
incumbent Almeta Crayton and two other
opponents in Tuesday’s election.
Sturtz won the election with 824 votes, or
60.4 percent. Crayton was second with 418
Charlotte and Dean Larrick: The couple love talking politics, votes, or 30.6 percent, John Clark was third JOSHUA A. BICKEL/Missourian
but they don’t tell each other how they vote. with 63 votes, or 4.6 percent, and Karen Bax- Paul Sturtz, co-founder of the Ragtag
ter was fourth with 58 votes, or 4.3 percent. Cinemacafe and the True/False Film
“We always come to vote; it is one of our freedoms and duties to do it.” In the Fifth Ward, Laura Nauser won an Festival, was elected to public office for
unopposed bid for a second term, garnering the first time after beating three-time
3,013 votes.
It was Sturtz’s first bid for public office. He
incumbent Almeta Crayton in Tuesday’s
said during a watch party at The Pasta Fac- election.
Please see council, page 4a

Rose keeps school board seat

Owen Jackson: He’s a retired
Columbia College professor.
“I came out to vote today because
that’s the thing to do.”
To hear the voices of these and other voters, go to ColumbiaMissourian.com.
Lindsey Hart: She was meeting her
parents so they could vote together.
“Because my parents told me
it is what I should do.”
Voters seek changes to board
by adding Tippin and Segert.
By TANNER FLOWERS
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
In an election that became a referendum on
the Columbia Public School District’s contro-
versies, including budget shortfalls, the new
high school site selection and math curricu-
lum, voters chose to change the makeup of the
school board.
On Tuesday, Tom Rose, Rosie Tippin and
Ines Segert won the three seats open on the
seven-person board.
Tom Rose received the most votes, with 25.2
percent. Rosie Tippin got 21.7 percent, and
Ines Segert received 19.6 percent. Candidates
who were not in the top three and will not have
seats on the board were Darin Preis with 14.5
percent, Gale “Hap” Hairston with 13.8 per-
cent and Arch Brooks with 5 percent.
In his first election, Rose, a veterinarian
appointed in June 2007 to succeed departing
board member Don Ludwig, received the most
votes of any of the six candidates.
“I have a challenge ahead of me,” Rose said
Tuesday night. “Some people won’t be happy
with what we have to decide.”
Rose said he was “kind of surprised” about
Please see board, page 4a

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