SMARTDECISION08: SUMMARY OF RESULTS

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

MORE ONLINE
! Searchable results, precinct City Sewer Bond Issue: Yes, 84%
by precinct
! Advice from First Ward County Sewer Bond Issue: Yes, 80%
residents to their new council
member Fire Board: John Sam Williamson, 25%;
! 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%

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COLUMBIA’S MORNING NEWSPAPER

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ESTABLISHED IN 1908 ! 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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Page 4A — WEDNESDAY, April 9, 2008
WHAT VOTERS SAID
“I feel it’s very important
for Columbia to continue to
support the school system
by passing the tax levy.
Other schools that we’ve
been compared to have
passed it in recent years,
and it seems to be the only
way to keep up with the
increasing cost of gas and
staffing, increased num-
ber of students, and many
increases in costs.”
— SUSAN ROBINSON, 54,
COORDINATOR OF HEALTH
SERVICES FOR COLUMBIA
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
“I’m tired of paying all
these high taxes. I already
pay enough of them. We in
construction … there ain’t
no construction going on
now. We don’t need them to
raise our taxes.”
— BILL HOWARD, 53,
ELECTRICIAN
“It (the sewer upgrade)
needs to be done. If we
don’t keep up with our
infrastructure, we’ll pay for
it down the road — pay now
or pay later.”
— JOHN LAROCCA, 52, MANAGER
OF THE UNIVERSITY CLUB
“(Rose Tippin, Tom Rose
and Ines Segert) are the
three who have questioned
the status quo the most,
which is a big deal for me.
… They seem to want to
look into running the school
district as efficiently as
possible without hurting the
students at the same time.”
— BILL CANTIN, 34,
NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIALIST FOR
THE CITY OF COLUMBIA
“Columbia needs to under-
stand that our taxes are
very low. If you look at other
university towns we are low.
… Money doesn’t buy every-
thing, but you get what you
pay for with the schools.”
— ESTHER STROH, 48, BIOLOGIST
“I voted for Ines Segert
because she showed a posi-
tion on (the tax levy), and I
was against that.”
— BRYAN HIGGINS, 31,
RESEARCHER
The school tax levy is
“necessary. ... My wife is
a teacher, and I’ve got two
daughters in school. I know
what resources the teachers
have and what is necessary
to maintain the very good
education system.”
— DAN HOLT, 50,
CONSULTANT FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION FINANCE
“I’m the co-chair of the city
sewer bond committee. And
in terms of our environ-
ment, quality of life and
financing the necessary
improvements with the most
fiscally responsible option,
yes was the way to vote. We
obviously were encouraging
people to vote yes.”
— MARY ANNE MCCOLLUM, 58,
MU UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS
“I voted yes for the tax
levy. I have a daughter
that’s going to be entering
the school district soon,
and I think it’s important
to not lose sight of the big-
ger picture. I can’t vote in
good conscience against
the school levy because of
my daughter, but the high
school and budget issues
have not been handled well.”
— JASON RAMSEY, 34, STATE
GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATOR
More online
To read and hear more
thoughts from voters, go to
ColumbiaMissourian.com.
Council: Economy focus for Sturtz
CONTINUED from page 1A
tory on Tuesday night that he appreci-
ated voters’ and friends’ support. A
constant din of noise followed Sturtz as
he spoke with friends among a crowd
of about 60 supporters in the banquet
room. The only interruption to the chat-
ter was when everyone turned to face
Sturtz as he made his victory speech,
and the room grew quiet.
Sturtz said earlier that winning this
race is “very daunting and exciting.”
“I definitely feel a certain weight of
responsibility and honor that goes along
with meeting hundreds and hundreds of
people and listening to their hopes and
frustrations,” Sturtz said. “You feel like
you want to do right by all the people
that you’ve talked to and live up to their
expectations.”
A few blocks away at Boone Tavern,
Crayton gathered with supporters to
watch election results. This campaign
marked the first time since she was ini-
tially elected in 1999 that Crayton faced
opposition.
A somber mood fell over the lower
level of Boone Tavern as Crayton’s
supporters milled around her; sever-
al offered comfort and embraced the
long-term incumbent, even rubbing her
neck.
“It’s what the citizens want,” Crayton
said. “You got to just go on with life.”
Given her background in public ser-
vice, Crayton surprisingly said she
would step back from political activity
in her First Ward community.
“I think I have helped and helped
and helped,” Crayton said. “They need
to decide what’s important to them
because evidently what I see as impor-
tant isn’t what they value.”
Crayton, who has used her council
position to call attention to problems of
crime, poverty and unemployment in
the First Ward and to draw attention to
her charitable efforts, drew some pub-
lic criticism last year from members
of the Central Columbia Get Out the
Vote Committee, who said she had been
ineffective as a council member. They
pondered a recall election of Crayton
but decided instead to focus on opposing
her during the regular election cycle.
John Clark, who ran for mayor in
2004 and 2007, lost his third bid for
public office. In lieu of watching the
election results, Clark chose to go out
Board: New members excited to get started
CONTINUED from page 1A
the results. “I think the voters realized
I’m not afraid to say my piece,” he said.
Tippin, a retired principal from West
Boulevard Elementary School, was the
second biggest vote-getter, with a cam-
paign focused on improving education
in the district and closing the achieve-
ment gap.
“I am excited about getting start-
ed, and I’m excited about being in the
middle of it,” Tippin said during what
became a victory celebration at Boone
Tavern. “I just want to get started. ...
It’s something that I want to do for
the community and especially for the
youngsters.”
Segert, a psychology professor at MU,
ran a campaign critical of the 54-cent
property tax levy increase, which failed
on Tuesday, and called for more open
communication from the school board.
She won the third seat over incumbent
Darin Preis. “I’m excited about trying
to make a difference,” Segert said from
her watch party at the Forge and Vine.
“I’m looking forward to working with
the other board members.”
Segert got a call from her father
about 9 p.m. telling her she’d won; at
the time, she was at her son’s jazz con-
cert at Rock Bridge High School. Rose
was also at the concert, listening to his
son perform. The two board members
talked there, and she said they agreed
it was more important to be in the audi-
ence than watching the results.
Preis, who lost his first defense of his
school board seat, was disappointed.
“I think people have a misunderstand-
ing about the administration, maybe
the board, certainly me as a part of the
status quo,” Preis said Tuesday night at
Levy: Many voters opposed school tax for first time
CONTINUED from page 1A
ourselves to finding out what that
message was about and what we can
do to turn that message around.”
With the next round of administra-
tor-recommended cuts to the 2008-
2009 budget, the equivalent of 53 more
jobs will be lost. Board President
Karla DeSpain said that when the levy
increase failed, those cuts became
inevitable.
“That was the understanding going
in and that is what will happen,”
DeSpain said.
On April 14, the old school board
will meet briefly and then disband.
New board members Rosie Tippin and
Ines Segert, along with incumbent
Tom Rose, will be sworn in and then
the revamped board will immediately
begin some heavy lifting. In the com-
ing months, members will have to
decide next year’s budget without the
additional $10 million the levy would
have brought in.
SMARTDECISION08
Sutu Forté, center, and Third Ward Councilman Karl Skala, third from right, listen to Sturtz’s victory speech at The
Pasta Factory on Tuesday after the announcement of his election as First Ward councilman.
for dinner with friends.
“I’ve spent 15 years at this stuff and
done what I can do from the outside.
The only thing left to do was from the
inside, and I didn’t get elected,” Clark
said. “I wish Paul all the best. He ran a
very slick campaign and deserves con-
gratulations for that.”
Baxter, who spent the night at home
receiving updates about the election
from her daughter, said losing this elec-
tion won’t defeat her ambitions to be
a positive influence in the First Ward.
Repeating the theme of her campaign,
she said she’ll continue to serve First
Ward by being a voice for her neigh-
bors, with or without the official title.
Baxter said she realized early on that
the race was primarily between Cray-
Flat Branch Pub and Brewery. Sitting
with him were board President Karla
DeSpain and members Steve Calloway
and Jan Mees, as well as district admin-
istrators.
“I don’t mind connecting myself to
this administration,” Preis said. “I’ve
seen their work as delegated and effi-
cient, and I’m proud of this administra-
tion.”
The two incumbents, Rose and Preis,
were involved in re-election bids, but
the third seat came open with David
Ballenger’s decision to step down.
Coming in fifth in the race was Gale
“Hap” Hairston, who oversees educator
preparation for the state.
He gathered with his wife, sons,
daughter-in-law, granddaughter and
mother-in-law at home, watching the
Cardinals game while his mother-in-
law checked the results online. Before 9
p.m., it appeared he wasn’t going to win.
“It’s disappointing,” Hairston said. “A
lot of people went out on limb with (my
campaign).”
He said he doesn’t foresee running for
the school board again. Arch Brooks,
who was running for the board for a
fifth time, came in last.
Voters sought change in the school
board, in part, as a reaction to perceived
lack of communication between the dis-
trict and community members.
“The parents in this community care
deeply about how students are doing,”
said MU researcher Tracy Greever-
Rice, 44. “The board and the district’s
administration need to take the parents’
values seriously and consider them as
partners, not as subjects.”
And as a few words of advice, voters
said new board members should foster
More online
Want to have your say on election
results?
Go to the Missourian’s online discussion
of Columbia public schools at
schoolhousetalk.blogspot.com
Last year, when the board voted to
hire 70 additional employees and raise
teacher base pay by $1,000, both board
Vice President Darin Preis and mem-
ber Don Ludwig realized the district
would have to ask for more money
soon.
They said as much at the public
board meeting, which was aired later
on public access television.
But the district did not ask for a levy
increase at the time, administrators
said, because it had set aside so much
money, $26 million, in its reserves.
Better, their rationale went, to spend
about $10 million of the extra now and
COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN
ton and Sturtz. She was disappointed
that Sturtz won.
“I’m really sad, not for myself, but for
Almeta and sad for Columbia,” Baxter
said. “My concern is that the balance of
power on the council has shifted.”
Tuesday’s election capped a busy
campaign season for the candidates,
who attended multiple election forums
to discuss the myriad issues that face
the First Ward.
Encompassing downtown, the Colum-
bia College campus and older commer-
cial and residential areas, the First
Ward is among the most diverse in
the city. Among the primary issues on
the candidates’ minds were affordable
housing, community policing, safety
and infrastructure.
New Columbia School Board member Rosie Tippin and longtime friend Miles
Earl talk with a supporter Tuesday night at a gathering at Boone Tavern.
communication in the coming months.
The new board members will be sworn
in at the April 14 school board meeting
and will then have to decide on budget
cuts. “I guess we’ve already decided
on level one cuts,” Rose said. “Next
meeting we’ll have to decide on renew-
ing contracts, if we have to decrease
employee contracts.”
Rose thinks that reworking some of
those contracts could reduce the impact
on the classrooms.
Tippin said she will weigh cuts care-
fully on her first night on the board.
“I am going to listen, first of all, and
ask for a tax levy increase later.
At the polls Tuesday, Andrew Anz,
a resident physician, called that a
“backwards process.”
“They spent the money before they
had it and then asked if they could
get the money,” said Anz, 27. For this
reason alone, he voted no.
Pack Matthews, a former teacher in
Massachusetts, voted against what he
characterized as a threat.
“I was annoyed at pressure put on
teachers to encourage others to sup-
port the levy,” Matthews said. “They
threatened that their salaries would
be — that’s just not right.”
The next round of cuts will be
inserted into the budget and approved
that way, not separately. “They now
become a part of formulating the
remainder of the budget,” Chase said.
Those cuts include paying teachers
for fewer days worked and stipends
for bus duty, detention and before- and
after-school supervision.
Many voters polled by the Missou-
JOSHUA A. BICKEL/Missourian
Sturtz said during the campaign
that he favors the use of tax-increment
financing to encourage mixed-income
housing downtown, amending the city
charter to add two wards to the city,
paying council members a modest sti-
pend and encouraging more First Ward
residents to volunteer for city boards
and commissions.
He also favors the proposed North-
Central Columbia overlay district, which
would establish guidelines for redevel-
opment of that neighborhood, and creat-
ing efficiency standards for affordable
housing to reduce utility bills.
Sturtz said his early priorities on the
council will be two challenges: bridging
the racial divide and developing a sus-
tainable economy.
JOHN HOOK/Missourian
try to see which things would be least
intrusive in the classroom,” Tippin said.
“You’ve got to have teachers and mate-
rials there, then you can decide what
to cut.”
Segert agreed that the new members
should work to save teaching positions.
“My feeling is just because the super-
intendent proposes to cut teacher posi-
tions doesn’t mean the board has to
agree,” Segert said. “We can find other
places where we can make cuts.”
Missourian reporters Eleonora Barak, Kate
Genellie, Jane Kellogg and Regan Palmer
contributed to this report.
rian said this was the first time they
voted against a school measure.
“I have a perfect record since 1972
of voting for every school tax increase
proposed,” said John McCormick, who
became vocal in school issues when
the district looked to build a high
school on land neighboring his. “They
just really lost my confidence.”
Sally Thornton, a retired cashier
from West Junior High School, said
she’s “all for the teachers but not the
administration. I’m afraid teachers
might get cut now, but we need to send
a message.”
“We pay so much — was it $1.7 mil-
lion for consultation? Chase has such
a high salary. They’re not using my
taxes wisely,” said Barbara Sell, sec-
retary for Project Construct.
“We have to work to maintain the
trust of those who have voted yes,”
Chase acknowledged, “and recommit
ourselves to building the trust of those
that voted no and did not see the value
of voting for the levy.”