March, Ivy elected to Doniphan school board

DONIPHAN — Riley March and Steven Ivy were the winners of three-year terms on the Doniphan R-I Board of Education in the most heavily contested race Tuesday on the municipal election ballot in Ripley County.

Overall, about 8% (625) of the county’s 7,545 voters eligible to cast a ballot participated in the election.

March

March, who has served on the board for the past six years, led a six-candidate field with 271 votes. March currently serves as board president.

Ivy

Ivy, a retired R-I teacher and coach who now works for the University of Missouri Extension Service, collected 228 votes to claim the second available seat on the board. He will replace Debbie Littles, who chose not to seek another term.

Unofficial totals showed Debbie Lathum with 198 votes, Denver Jackson 125, Daniel Kellas 87 and Bob Morrow 75.

Naylor R-II voters selected two incumbents for new three-year terms on the school board. Brent Day received 49 votes while Jerry Cullison received 46. Challenger Brian Cannon collected 25 votes.

In the only other contested race in the county, challenger Donnie Johnson Jr. (149 votes) defeated incumbent road commissioner Bob Cape (141) for a three-year term in the Doniphan Special Road District.

Four county road districts were successful in renewing property tax levies for road maintenance. The levies are required to be on the ballot every three years. Those districts included Ponder-Gatewood, Purman, Wolfe Creek and the Naylor Special Road District.

In the City of Doniphan, three members of the board of aldermen were unopposed. Jerry Cole (Ward I) and Steve Collins (Ward II) were re-elected to two year terms. Leslie Netherland, who was appointed to the board last fall, was elected to fill a one-year unexpired term in Ward I.