Barker, McGruder win Neelyville School Board race

Vernon Barker and incumbent Jill McGruder received the most votes in the Neelyville School Board election Tuesday.

In Butler County, Barker had 228 votes and five in Ripley County while McGruder received 156 in Butler County and two in Ripley County.

Barker said, “I’m pleased to be elected to the position and excited to get started. I hope that I’m able to accomplish what the voters want me to be able to do.”

Barker said, he “wants to thank them for getting out and voting for me.”

McGruder received 156 votes in Butler County and two in Ripley County.

McGruder was excited about her win.

She said, ”I think it was a good race. I especially enjoyed spending the day with the other candidates, and getting to talk with them about ideas and things that we need for the school. I’m excited for things to continue to move forward. I’m really excited that the rain stopped for us.”

McGruder said, in the morning, “it was real drizzly and cold and had a pretty good solid rain. Then it just stopped and that was like, praise God. So it turned out to be a beautiful day.”

McGruder said, “another thing that we did that was kind of neat. Sarah Armes brought her second grade class out and they asked us questions like what a school board was. We got to interact with those students and explain to them what the voting process was and everything. So that was pretty cool.”

Barker, who is 39, and his wife, Stacey, have a 13-year-old son Gage. He is the owner of Barkers Towing & Auto Repair in Poplar Bluff.

McGruder, 50, has served one term on the school board. She is the Women’s Health medical director at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center.

She and her husband Curt McGruder have three children: Morgan (22), Bailey (19) and Mollie (8).

The other candidates were Amanda Wolfram and Chuck Reinbott. Wolfram received 136 votes in Butler County and two in Ripley County. Reinbott had 66 votes in Butler County and three in Ripley County.