Clerk expects average turnout with few races on April 4 municipal ballots

By Buck Collier, Special Correspondent
Posted 3/22/23

HERMANN — Even a chance to heavily tax the sale of marijuana isn’t expected to significantly raise the level of turnout in two weeks when voters to to the polls for the General Municipal …

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Clerk expects average turnout with few races on April 4 municipal ballots

Posted

HERMANN — Even a chance to heavily tax the sale of marijuana isn’t expected to significantly raise the level of turnout in two weeks when voters to to the polls for the General Municipal Elections.

Gasconade County Clerk Lesa Lietzow, who hasn’t issued a formal projection yet, said Thursday morning that she doesn’t anticipate a larger-than-normal showing at the polls. She told the Gasconade County Republican she thinks there will be a turnout of “no more than 25 percent.”

There are several school district races and financing issues for some of those districts on the ballot, but races for boards of aldermen in the various municipalities did not take shape this year.

Voters across the county will be asked to approve a 3-percent sales tax on marijuana, as will voters in the cities of Hermann and Owensville. At this point, only Hermann has a marijuana retail outlet.

On the northern end of the county, voters in the Gasconade County R-1 School District will be choosing four members of the school board, filling three regularly scheduled seats and filling the remainder of a term of a fourth seat. In the R-1 board races, running for one of the three 3-year-term seats are Amy Grannemann, incumbent Jeff Englert, Ashley Kopp and Cecily Borzillo. The lone candidate to fill the remaining two years of the fourth seat is incumbent Director Mike Pratte.

In the city of Hermann, incumbents Derek LeRoy in Ward 1 and Jim Schirmer in Ward 2 are unchallenged. Next year’s General Municipal Elections will include a mayoral election and two aldermanic elections.

In Morrison, voters will select two at-large aldermen. Running for the two seats to be filled are Thomas E. Hernandez and Rick Penrod.

In the City of Gasconade, voters will fill two aldermanic seats. The candidates for those positions are Michael Owens and Jennifer Miller.

Owensville city voters will decide Proposition M which, if approved, would allow the city to collect a sales tax of 3 percent on recreational marijuana should a dispensary be located inside city limits.

Kevin M. McFadden, a Ward 1 alderman and president of the board, and Matthew D. Kramme, appointed to fill Rob Borgmann’s unexpired term as Ward 2 aldermen, are both unopposed for two-year terms.

Gasconade County R-2 School District patrons will have three uncontested incumbent candidates for the Board of Education. Glenn Scott Ely, Jean Baker, and Jason Randall Crowe are all seeking new three-year terms. The district was required to hold an election for directors even though they are unopposed since the district is running a bond issue.

The R-2 question asks voters to decide if the district may issue $15 million in general obligation bonds for upgrades to facilities and student safety concerns across the district, construction of a performing arts center at the high school, improvements to the career technical programs, and additional early childhood education services.

Approval of the question will not increase the district’s debt service levy which will remain at 67 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

In Rosebud Wendt Bartel-Turnbough (collector), Caleb Zelch (Ward 1 alderman), and Doug Bauer (Ward 2 aldermen) are all unopposed for two-year terms.

Bland voters will select between Ron Shafferkoetter, James Carpenter, Joe Ridener, and Michelle Morrow for two aldermen at-large positions for two-year terms.

Michael Pratt is unopposed for the six-year term to the Gerald-Rosebud Fire Protection District’s Board of Directors. Voters in the district will decide if a 30-cent addition to the operating tax levy will be authorized starting in 2024 with an additional 15 cents levied starting in 2029. Upgrades to equipment, fire stations and continuation of benefits for all fire personnel is the stated reason for the “fire/rescue’ proposition in the Gerald-Rosebud district.