Editorial

Important decision will be made Tuesday

Friday, April 2, 2021

Missouri residents will head to the polls again Tuesday to decide important matters for their communities, and Butler County is no exception.

There are two contested school board races and two contested municipal races, as well as tax measures on the ballot for two of our counties. We also have the opportunity to elect three people to the Butler County Health Department’s Board of Trustees.

These are not issues and races that only matter in the short term.

The people elected Tuesday will spend the next three and four years helping determine the direction of our towns and schools. The tax measures have permanent implications for both our pocketbooks and the services that the cities involved may offer.

In a non-presidential election year, an April election tends to see lower voter turnout, election officials have said.

In past years, that has meant that fewer than 6,000 residents helped decide the course of every Butler County resident’s future. In some races, the numbers are even lower, with less than 100 people deciding who might lead a city or school district.

We hope that everyone will take a few moments to get out and vote Tuesday. The process is usually pretty quick. Butler County is fortunate to have many good volunteers who serve as election judges and help the polls run smoothly.

The following contested races and ballot measures will be decided Tuesday:

• Butler County Health Department Board of Trustees, elect 3, candidates: Dorothy Munch, Yvonne Pope, James Harlan and Richard Montgomery

• Poplar Bluff Board of Education, elect 2, candidates: Timothy Gaebler, Kenneth Davis and Kevin Ellis

• Neelyville R-IV Board of Education, elect 2, candidates: Travis Russom, Ronald Hover Jr., Ashley Taylor, Justin Beaird, Justin Pennington and Robert Fisher

• Poplar Bluff Ward 4 city council, elect 1, candidates: Shane Cornman and Robert Durbin

• Should the city of Poplar Bluff enact a use tax on certain internet purchases, at current sales tax rate of 2.25%?

• Should the city of Fisk enact a license tax of 4% on the retail distribution and sale of utility services within the city?

— Daily American Republic

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