Joplin voters approve sales tax question, reelect Hartwell, Hird to school board

Debby Woodin, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Apr. 2—A 12-year extension of Joplin's capital improvements sales tax won approval by a vote of 2,141 to 1,391 in Tuesday's election, according to complete but unofficial results.

Voters on the Jasper County side of the city cast 1,705 votes in favor of renewing the three-eighths-cent sales tax and 1,103 votes against the ballot proposal. On the Newton County side, south of 32nd Street, the question received 436 votes in favor and 288 against.

The City Council posed a 12-year term for the tax rather than the traditional 10 years in order to raise money to do more projects. The project list amounts to about $95 million. City officials said the projects involve a large amount of street maintenance, extensions and widening along with the replacement of the long-closed Pennsylvania Avenue bridge in downtown.

Joplin Board of Education

A four-way race for the Joplin Board of Education returns two incumbents, current board president Rylee Hartwell and John Hird, to their seats.

Hartwell received 2,245 votes, and Hird 1,408. There were two challengers — Victor Sly, a law enforcement officer, who received 1,372 votes, and house inspection businessman Derek Gander, who received 1,127 votes. Gander is former member of the board.

Joplin City Council

In races for two four-year general seats on the Joplin City Council, Mayor Pro Tem Keenan Cortez was reelected with 2,102 votes. Joshua "Josh" Bard, a real estate agent, claimed the second available seat with 1,886 votes. A challenger, Natasha Klue-Michael, received 1,424 votes in the race.

There were three unopposed candidates for City Council. Real estate executive Doris Carlin was elected to a two-year unexpired term with 529 votes.

Incumbent Charles "Chuck" Copple received 2,103 votes to continue representing the city's Zone 2. Newcomer Ryan Jackson received 2,055 votes to represent Zone 3. Both of those posts are four-year terms.

Jackson succeeds Phil Stinnett, who did not seek reelection. Carlin will take the seat formerly held by Kate Spencer, who resigned in November. Bard will hold the seat to be vacated by Christina Williams, who did not file for reelection.