Editorial
Write comment (0 Comments)
Editorials
Better plan for rural post offices earns NNA plaudits
The U.S. Postal Service’s new plan for providing rural residents with new options for keeping their local post offices drew praise from National Newspaper Association this week.
Read more...
An election…by the numbers
Owensville residents have spoken.
Loudly.
Even though turnout was relatively low in the April 3 Municipal Election, those who bothered to vote sent their message to the city’s Board of Aldermen and mayor.
They want the opportunity to vote for a city marshal every four years.
City voters rejected the question posed by the Board of Aldermen to make the marshal’s position an appointment of the mayor with final approval from the board.
In relatively light voter turnout, 83.8 percent of the 284 ballots cast were against the question. Turnout in the city was 20.25 percent in the city’s second ward and only 14.78 percent in Ward 1.
Overall, only 18.97 of the city’s 1,687 registered voters (320) went to the polls.
Voters in Ward 2 cast 15 votes for the measure against 123 no votes. In Ward 1, 29 voters favored the proposal and 115 voted no.
According to official Gasconade County voting totals, 320 total votes were cast in the city last week — 32 by absentee ballot but only two of those ballots had a vote cast for the question. That means 36 voters did not cast a vote on the city’s question.
Furthermore, when examining the 320 total votes cast, there were voters who chose not to vote for either the specific issue, and, or, the unopposed candidates.
Looking at Mayor Dixon Somerville’s uncontested contest for another 2-year term, he collected 240 votes and there were 12 written-in votes which were not credited to a particular person since no one filed as a declared write-in candidate for mayor.
Sixty-eight residents did not cast a vote for anyone.
In Ward 2, John Kamler received votes on 116 of the 143 ballots credited to the ward. There were three written-in ballots which, essentially, again did not count for anyone since no one was a registered write-in candidate.
That left 24 ballots unmarked for the uncontested position.
In Ward 1, Ron Miller won his seat back on an open write-in ballot. He received 42 of the 63 total ballots counted with 16 other votes counted among 15 other names written-in (including Donald Duck). That means more than half of the 145 ballots cast in the ward overall — 82 to be exact — were not cast for anyone.
By the time this newspaper is printed today (Wednesday), a Missouri House of Representatives’ committee meeting will have held a public hearing on an issue those who voted on the city’s question may be interested in following.
The topic of 8 a.m. April 11 discussion in the House-Local Government Committee was a proposal contained in House Resolution 7 and House Bill 2059. Promoted by Wanda Brown, R-Lincoln, HB 2059 proposes to allow cities of the fourth classification to appoint a collector and chief of police without requiring approval of the voters.
Also scheduled for discussion is HB 1760, filed by State Rep. Ira Anders, a Democrat from Independence, which would allow the board of aldermen in the city of Sugar Creek to provide by ordinance that the city marshal or chief of police be appointed instead of elected.
Here are their respective Capitol office telephone numbers and e-mail addresses if you wish to share your thoughts — or results from the city of Owensville’s most recent election:
• State Rep. Ira Anders, 51st District, (573) 751-5701 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• State Rep. Wanda Brown, 116th District, (573) 751-3971 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Owensville is among the few remaining communities across Missouri which still has a vote in the process of selecting its marshal, according to statistics provided by city officials seeking support for the city’s question on April 3. It appears city residents, those who bothered to vote anyway, want to keep that right
Loudly.
Even though turnout was relatively low in the April 3 Municipal Election, those who bothered to vote sent their message to the city’s Board of Aldermen and mayor.
They want the opportunity to vote for a city marshal every four years.
City voters rejected the question posed by the Board of Aldermen to make the marshal’s position an appointment of the mayor with final approval from the board.
In relatively light voter turnout, 83.8 percent of the 284 ballots cast were against the question. Turnout in the city was 20.25 percent in the city’s second ward and only 14.78 percent in Ward 1.
Overall, only 18.97 of the city’s 1,687 registered voters (320) went to the polls.
Voters in Ward 2 cast 15 votes for the measure against 123 no votes. In Ward 1, 29 voters favored the proposal and 115 voted no.
According to official Gasconade County voting totals, 320 total votes were cast in the city last week — 32 by absentee ballot but only two of those ballots had a vote cast for the question. That means 36 voters did not cast a vote on the city’s question.
Furthermore, when examining the 320 total votes cast, there were voters who chose not to vote for either the specific issue, and, or, the unopposed candidates.
Looking at Mayor Dixon Somerville’s uncontested contest for another 2-year term, he collected 240 votes and there were 12 written-in votes which were not credited to a particular person since no one filed as a declared write-in candidate for mayor.
Sixty-eight residents did not cast a vote for anyone.
In Ward 2, John Kamler received votes on 116 of the 143 ballots credited to the ward. There were three written-in ballots which, essentially, again did not count for anyone since no one was a registered write-in candidate.
That left 24 ballots unmarked for the uncontested position.
In Ward 1, Ron Miller won his seat back on an open write-in ballot. He received 42 of the 63 total ballots counted with 16 other votes counted among 15 other names written-in (including Donald Duck). That means more than half of the 145 ballots cast in the ward overall — 82 to be exact — were not cast for anyone.
By the time this newspaper is printed today (Wednesday), a Missouri House of Representatives’ committee meeting will have held a public hearing on an issue those who voted on the city’s question may be interested in following.
The topic of 8 a.m. April 11 discussion in the House-Local Government Committee was a proposal contained in House Resolution 7 and House Bill 2059. Promoted by Wanda Brown, R-Lincoln, HB 2059 proposes to allow cities of the fourth classification to appoint a collector and chief of police without requiring approval of the voters.
Also scheduled for discussion is HB 1760, filed by State Rep. Ira Anders, a Democrat from Independence, which would allow the board of aldermen in the city of Sugar Creek to provide by ordinance that the city marshal or chief of police be appointed instead of elected.
Here are their respective Capitol office telephone numbers and e-mail addresses if you wish to share your thoughts — or results from the city of Owensville’s most recent election:
• State Rep. Ira Anders, 51st District, (573) 751-5701 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• State Rep. Wanda Brown, 116th District, (573) 751-3971 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Owensville is among the few remaining communities across Missouri which still has a vote in the process of selecting its marshal, according to statistics provided by city officials seeking support for the city’s question on April 3. It appears city residents, those who bothered to vote anyway, want to keep that right
