| Today's Feature Jasper County Election Results.
Incumbents Hold On.
In the closest race of
yesterday's primary, T. Mark Elliott held on to
nearly 53% of the votes in Jasper County to edge
out challenger Steve Hunter with just over 47%.
Hunter started the evening with a narrow lead
over Elliott from the few Newton County voters in
the 127th District but the lead was overcome by a
strong showing by Elliott from Carl Junction.
Elliott won by less than 200 votes and in
unopposed in November.
Presiding Commissioner Danny
Hensley won the right to face Democratic
candidate Jana Dahmen in November by defeating
Kathy Rowland 6,056(57%) to 4,491.
Incumbent Associate Judge Joe
Schoeberl will return for his second term (7,517
69%) after withstanding the challenge of Gayle
Crane (3,414).
One of the most watched races,
for Jasper County Clerk was won by Jim Lobbey
with 3,605 votes (33%), followed by John Putnam
with 3,026 (28%), Alan Bull with 1,688 (15.5%),
Randy Stanley with 1,351 (12.4%), and Craig
Putnam with 1,224 (11.2%).
David Dally gathered nearly 60%
of the votes for Circuit Court 29 Division 2 with
6,361 votes with opponent Susan Butler getting
4,471.
Linda Williams (7,401-70%) won
her first attempt at the Republican nomination
for Circuit Clerk by defeating Cory Gjeruldse
(3,037). Williams will face incumbent Kathleen
McGuire in November.
Incumbent Shirley Norris
(6,593-62%) won over Jim Hunter IV (4,012) to
retain her position as County Auditor. Norris is
unopposed in November.
Mike Randolph (6,185-63%) won
the Republican nomination for the County Coroner
against Gary Lyster (3,543). Randolph will run
against Democratic Candidate Ronald Mosbaugh in
November.
Incumbent State Senator Marvin
Singleton defeated opponent Ron Richard by 6,816
(62%) to 4,228 (38%) in Jasper County and reports
from Newton County showed similar margins for
Singleton.
Incumbent State Representative
for District 126, Bubs Hohulin, was unopposed in
the Primary and will face Democrat Mary Ireland
in November. Ireland (108-67%) defeated Stanley
Walker (54-33%) for the Democratic Nomination.
The question of whether to
impose an increased property tax levy was
defeated by a 7,441 to 3,963 nonpartisan vote.
A fairly typical turnout for an
off year election resulted in 12,887 ballots
being cast in Jasper County. There are 61,405
registered voters in the County which results in
approximately 21% of the voters turning out to
the polls.
Police Chief Recommended
The Police Personnel and
Administration Boards has recommended the name of
Mr. Dennis R. Veach of Columbia, Missouri to
Mayor Kenneth Johnson to propose for appointment
to the position of Chief of Police for the City
of Carthage. The position of Chief of Police is
filled by the Mayor with the consent of the
majority of the members of the City Council. The
recommendation is expected to be brought to the
City Council for action at their August 11, 1998
meeting. The vacancy was caused by the retirement
of Ed Ellefsen who was Police Chief for the city
for the last 19 years. Ellefsen left to become
the Executive Director for the Mid-States
Organized Crime Information Center (MOCIC) in
Springfield, Missouri. Mr. Veach is currently
Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Columbia,
Missouri. He has served on the Columbia Police
Department since 1976. During his tenure on the
department he has served as a Police Officer,
Field Supervisor, Unit Commander and Watch
Commander. Before the Columbia Police Department,
he served as a Deputy Sheriff for Adair County.
Since 1994 Mr. Veach has served as Deputy Chief
of Police for Columbia. As Deputy he was
responsible for the day-to-day operations of a
department composed of 117 officers and 31
civilians. Mr. Veach is a graduate of Truman
State University, hold's a Master's degree in
Administration of Criminal Justice from Central
Missouri State University and is a graduate from
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
National Academy.
Mr. Veach is expected to
relocate to Carthage within the next thirty to
sixty days. Mayor Johnson said that he was
pleased with the search process and the number of
qualified individuals interested in Carthage's
position. He said this spoke well of the
professional reputation of Carthage's police
department. The Mayor thanked the Board for the
work done to bring about this recommendation and
is looking forward to bringing his recommendation
to the City Council for their consent. He agreed
the Board's recommendation is an excellent choice
for the City and is looking forward to working
with Mr. Veach.
Just Jake
Talkin'
Mornin',
As another primary season
draws to a conclusion, most will draw a
breath of relief. The real work can now begin
of eliminating the rows of signage lining the
streets and highways. The Carthage time limit
to remove political signs is five days after
the primary. This a particularly loomin' task
for those who did not declare victory last
night. Those who face opponents in November
can look forward to another round.
Those who participate in
this election trauma have to be congratulated
for not slingin' too much mud or reaching too
far into their opponents closet. At least we
the public appreciate the self control some
candidates must have maintained as the races
neared an end.
The media, of course must
have just not known exactly where ta look.
This is some fact, but
mostly,
Just Jake Talkin'.
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