Wednesday, April 7, 2010 n serv ing the community si nce 1908 n Join the conversation at ColumbiaMissourian.

com n 50 cents

McDavid elected mayor

n Kespohl and Dudley n $120 million bond n Downtown cameras
win City Council seats issue approved for schools approved, see page 6A
Mayor: In easy
victory, McDavid
wins six-person
mayoral race
By Kathleen Pointer
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Physician Bob McDavid will
be the next mayor of Colum-
bia after cruising to a rela-
tively easy victory in a six-
way race to replace five-term
incumbent Darwin Hindman,
who did not seek re-election.
McDavid — who enjoyed the
endorsement of the Columbia
Chamber of Commerce, the
support of Columbia firefight-
ers and police officers and
an unprecedented campaign
treasury that he reported last
week was around $56,000 —
got 54.2 percent of the vote.
Tuesday night, McDavid
was sur-
OUR rounded
by exuber-
DECISION ant sup-
2010 porters at
Shiloh Bar
and Grill
when the results came in. The
campaign tallied the results
of the mayor’s race and Prop-
osition 1 on a large tablet.
“I felt kind of peaceful
going into tonight,” McDavid
said. “We worked hard, ran
a good campaign and a posi-
tive campaign. I was at peace
knowing we did everything
we could do.”
McDavid won the six-person
mayoral election with 9,935
votes, or 54 percent. He was
followed by Jerry Wade with
5,187 votes, Sid Sullivan with
2,222 votes, Paul Love with ERIN SCHWARTZ/Missourian
454 votes, Sal Nuccio with 360 Mayor-elect Bob McDavid celebrates his win with his daughter Kim Schmidt, son Scott McDavid, wife Suzanne and members of the Columbia Fire
votes and Sean O’Day with Department on stage at Shiloh Bar and Grill on Tuesday evening. McDavid won the mayor’s seat with 54 percent of the vote.
Please see mayor, page 6A

Wards: Chamber BOND: $120 million OK’d to add

of Commerce
favorites win
council seats
By Anne Christnovich
and Patrick Sweet
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
The two ward candidates
backed by the Columbia
Chamber of Commerce won
their bids for seats on the
Columbia City Council. Gary
Kespohl knocked incumbent
Karl Skala out of the Third
Ward seat while Daryl Dud-
ley emerged from a field of
four to win the Fourth Ward
seat vacated by mayoral can-
didate Jerry Wade.
Third Ward
Kespohl, who gathered with
about 30 supporters at Jack’s
Gourmet Restaurant on Tues-
day night, won the 2010 ver-
sion of a squeaker between
him and Skala. Kespohl won
Forest “Red” Leighton, right, congratulates Gary Kespohl
after his victory in the Third Ward City Council race.
1,259 votes to Skala’s 1,205.
Like the last time the two
faced off for the ward seat,
the race was decided by
fewer than 100 votes. Kespohl
lost that round by 63 votes in
2007.
Please see wards, page 6A
ELECTION high school, renovate schools
RESULTS By Kourtney Geers
MAYOR More online
P Bob McDavid 54% 9,935
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Voters overwhelmingly
Columbia voters explain why
Jerry Wade 28% 5,187 responded to Columbia Pub-
Sid Sullivan 12% 2,222 lic Schools’ call for improved they went to the polls and what
Paul Love 2% 454 facilities and two new schools, issues they care about the most.
Sal Nuccio 2% 360 approving a $120 million bond Go to ColumbiaMissourian.com.
Sean O’Day 1% 173 issue by 77 percent.
“I feel elated and sup- “I think the public has more
THIRD WARD ported by the community,” confidence in us, and that’s
P Gary Kespohl 51% 1,259
said Superintendent Chris why the bond issue is passing
Karl Skala 49% 1,205 Belcher, who was at Columbia by such a high percentage,”
FOURTH WARD School Board President Jan said Whitt, who has served as
WILLIAM LOUNSBURY/Missourian
Mees’ victory party at Jack’s a one-year appointee.
P Daryl Dudley 36% 1,831
Gourmet Restaurant. “I feel
The vote was 17,252 to 5,086
Tracy Greever-Rice 35% 1,772
a good deal of responsibility in favor of the bond issue,
Sarah Read 26% 1,326
to deliver our product in an which will be used to finance
Rick Buford 3% 138
efficient manner, and I think construction, renovations and
SCHOOL BOND ISSUE our Board of Education will technology improvements. A
More online P Yes 77% 17,252 do that.” 57 percent, or four-sevenths,
No 23% 5,086 Celebrating his election majority was needed to pass.
To see a precinct-by-precinct to his first three-year term, This new bond issue com-
voting breakdown and an elec- James Whitt said he thinks bines two that had been con-
MORE RESULTS, 6A
tion day photo slideshow, go to that in the past year, the ceived for 2011 and 2013 as
ColumbiaMissourian.com. board has improved commu- part of a three-phase plan
nications with the public.
Please see bond, page 6A

Theater group assesses loss, future Craigslist founder:

By Chelsea McGartland
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
As they planned how to
move forward, the devotees
of Maplewood Barn Commu-
nity Theatre seemed as resil-
ient Tuesday as their recent-
ly built stage. Apart from a
large black soot stain and a
few holes, the Mark Durrant
Memorial Stage was struc-
turally sound and all that
remained after the fire.
“It’s being considered a
total loss,” Capt. Eric Hart-
man of the Columbia Fire
Department said. He said it
could be several days before
investigators would be able to
determine a cause.
Board members met Tues-
day evening to discuss the
future of the program and
said they were determined to
continue the program with as
much normalcy as possible.
Tuesday morning, the fire
scene smelled like a soggy
campfire and was a tangled
mess of fallen roof, burned
stage sets, props and power
tools. A few scraps of color-
ful costumes poked through
the ashes of the barn, which
was built in 1877 and was on
the National Registry of His-
Share your memories Serve the community
To share your memories of the Maplewood Barn Community By Bryan Richardson Silverware clicked con-
Theatre, go to ColumbiaMissourian.com.
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com stantly against hundreds of
Craigslist founder Craig plates during the luncheon at
Newmark had an overall the Holiday Inn Select-Exec-
toric Places. A few blackened Lace,” when director Jim Yel- message on Tuesday for utive Center, creating steady
timbers remained defiantly ton said the barn was burn- Columbia’s journalists and background noise for the key-
upright as passers-by slowed ing. He and the rest of the businesspeople: serve your note speaker. He spoke for
in their cars to get a look at actors rushed to the scene. community. about 20 minutes on the his-
what remained of the theater He returned to the site early “We (Craigslist) think of tory and business approach
in Nifong Park. Tuesday while firefighters ourselves as something that of Craigslist, a Web site for
Board member Charlie were still putting out the last helps a lot of people,” New- free, local classified adver-
Wilkerson was in Lee Hills embers of the fire. mark said at the Columbia tisements. Since its found-
Hall at MU on Monday night “It’s a double loss,” Wilker- Chamber of Commerce’s ing in 1995, it has grown to
rehearsing for the season’s son said. “It’s a historical loss Business Showcase on Tues- more than 700 local sites in
first show, “Arsenic and Old Please see Theater, page 8A day. Please see craig, page 8A

Correction Today’s Index Life Stories 3A

Our 102nd year/#147
Former Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Robert Shaw has six grand- weather Abby 7A
Lottery 2A 2 sections
16 pages
children: Roman and Nyro, both of Nashville, Tenn.; Jordan and Riley, both of Calendar 2A Opinion 5A
Today: Chance of Showers.
Overland Park, Kan.; and Jack and Caroline, both of Kansas City. A life story Sports 1B
Temp: 64° Classified 5B
on page 3A Tuesday left out two of the names.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Comics 7A Sudoku 6B
Go to ColumbiaMissourian.com to read Mr. Shaw’s life story.
Temp: 39°
Page 2A 6 54051 90850 3
Page 6A — WEDNESDAY, April 7, 2010
Sessions, Mees, Whitt will take Downtown
seats on Columbia School Board cameras OK’d
By Alix Wiggins
and Kelly Brdicka
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Jonathan Sessions, a new-
comer to the Columbia School
Board, secured a one-year
term, after he started last-
minute campaigning at 5 a.m.
Tuesday. By the time he was
declared a winner to about 35
people at his watch party at
Uprise Bakery, he said he was
exhausted.
Sessions got 11,597 votes,
versus 7,570 cast for MU Law
School professor Phil Peters.
Sessions, a Columbia native
and Hickman High School
graduate, owns a technology
consulting company in town.
He plans to incorporate more
technology education in the
classroom and improve student
achievement. After the results
were announced, including
voter approval of a $120 mil-
lion bond issue, he said his
first priority was to help devel-
op a new high school.
“I’m ready to jump right in,”
Sessions said.
Incumbent board members
Jan Mees and James Whitt won
the two three-year term seats
with 15,719 and 9,976 votes,
respectively, over Dan Holt,
who received 7,297 votes.
Mees, current board presi-
dent and a media specialist
retired from the district, has
served since 2007. Whitt, a
former General Electric exec-
utive who runs cPhase Sports
Association, was appointed
after Rosie Tippin resigned in
May 2009.
“I’m so grateful to the vot-
ers for the confidence in me
to continue working with our
community and their kids,”
Mees said.
Eliot Battle, the first black
teacher to work at an inte-
grated Columbia school, was
among the several dozen peo-
ple at Mees’ watch party at
Jack’s Gourmet Restaurant and
congratulated her on her re-
election. She said her primary
goal now is to close academic
achievement gaps among stu-
dents of different races and
household income levels.
Battle also visited Whitt’s
party at Boone Tavern. Whitt
shares Mees’ goal and also
wants to ensure students and
teachers have adequate build-
ings and facilities.
At his watch party of about
20 people, he thanked every-
one for coming and support-
Mayor: Wade says he’ll remain active
CONTINUED from page 1A
173 votes.
During the campaign,
McDavid emphasized his 12
years on the Boone Hospital
Center board of trustees. He
has chaired the board since
2007 but said he would step
down if elected mayor.
Across town at the House
of Chow, the mood at Wade’s
watch party changed dramati-
cally as the final results came
in. After all precincts reported,
what had been an upbeat crowd
fell to murmurs about the new
make-up of the council.
“The votes are in pretty
direct proportion to the
amount of money spent. That,
to me, says something,” said
Wade, who served 12 years
on the Columbia Planning and
Zoning Commission.
Wade gave up his Fourth
Ward seat on the City Council
to run for mayor. Given his loss
and the victors in the Third
Bond: Money to fund new schools, upgrades
CONTINUED from page 1A
recommended several years
ago to ease crowding, make
needed repairs and cut down
on the use of trailers. Part one,
for $60 million, was approved
in 2007. Last year, interim
Superintendent Jim Ritter
recommended the single $120
million bond issue, in part to
get the new high school fully
open earlier.
The $120 million will be
combined with $18 million
remaining from the 2007 bond
issue to create a $138 mil-
lion plan. The money is broken
down in this way:
n  Construction: $97.5 mil-
lion to build a high school,
elementary school and addi-
tional gyms/physical educa-
tion space at Hickman and
Rock Bridge high schools.
n  Building improvements:
$10 million for roofing, win-
Jan Mees, the top vote-getter for School Board, listens to
Eliot Battle at Jack’s Gourmet Restaurant.
ing him, then said, joking,
Wards: Dudley’s
“And tomorrow, I’m going to
Disneyland.”
After two back-to-back
School Board races, Dan Holt,
win stuns rival
a former educational finance
and Fourth ward races, he
said, “we have a different set
of dynamics on the council.”
“We have a community that
is highly divided and frag-
mented, and I do not see any-
thing in this election which
carries much hope of begin-
ning to bring the community
together,” he said. “That, to
me, may be the saddest out-
come of the election.”
Wade’s platform centered on
creating jobs and implement-
ing more technical training.
The Columbia Black Round-
table, the Boone County
Smart Growth Coalition and
the Osage Group of the Sierra
Club endorsed him.
Wade said he plans to remain
active as a private citizen.
Sullivan is no stranger to
elections. Before running for
mayor, he sought the 24th
District seat in the Missouri
House of Representatives and
the southern Boone County
dow replacement, mortar
repairs and interior renova-
tions (ceilings, flooring, elec-
trical, plumbing and heating)
at 17 schools.
n  Air conditioning: $14.8 mil-
lion to air-condition schools still
without air conditioning and
replace boilers at 10 buildings.
n  Technology: $7.5 million for
computers for classrooms and
labs and network infrastructure
improvements at 21 schools.
n  Interest and fees: $8.2
million for costs associated
with bond funding.
Belcher said earlier that con-
struction on the high school,
which will be located in the
northeast part of the district
off St. Charles Road, is sched-
uled to begin June 1, and other
projects such as air condition-
ing, roofing and technology
will begin on a varied basis
per building need.
OURDECISION2010
WILLIAM LOUNSBURY/Missourian
James Whitt
celebrates
his victory
with his
wife,
Annelle,
at Boone
Tavern.
COLLEEN
LEFHOLZ
Missourian
consultant, said he is going
to take his time thinking over
his plans. He will observe the
current board’s responses to
upcoming issues before he
considers running again.
commissioner seat. In the cam-
paign for mayor, he focused on
strengthening neighborhoods
and bringing retirees to town
to bolster economic activity.
“We were up against a lot
of money,” said Arthur Nunn,
Sullivan’s campaign manager.
“I think we did a pretty good
job based on that.”
The Boone County Smart
Growth Coalition also
endorsed Sullivan, who said
he is unsure whether he’ll run
for office again.
“Other candidates raised
the fear issue of crime, and
people vote fear,” Sullivan
said. “They were successful
with that. They spent a lot of
money on that.”
Candidate Sean O’Day was
among the Sullivan support-
ers gathered at Broadway
Brewery on Tuesday night. On
March 30, O’Day endorsed Sul-
livan. Paul Love was at McNal-
ly’s, his normal Tuesday night
“I am encouraged and
relieved that the communi-
ty still wants to support our
great public school system,”
Kim Weber, president of
Columbia Council PTA, said
Tuesday evening. “We are in
tough times, but we have to
support the school district by
making tough choices.”
Current enrollment in the
district is 17,419 students, and
another 1,000 are projected to
enroll over the next five years.
“Don’t you think we need
(the bond issue)? Columbia is
growing, and we’re crowded
as it is,” retired teacher Don
Sewell said early Tuesday
after voting at Free Will Bap-
tist Church. “Kids are control-
ling the classrooms.”
The bond issue passed amid
concerns from voters such
as Gene Kingery, who is also
retired.
School Board
member-elect
Jonathan
Sessions,
right, speaks
with Lynn
Parshal,
left, and
his mother,
Sharon
Sessions,
at a victory
celebration
at Uprise
Bakery.
JOEL KOWSKY
Missourian
SCHOOL BOARD
1-YEAR SEAT
P Jonathan Sessions 61% 11,597
Phil Peters 39% 7,570
3-YEAR SEATS
P Jan Mees 48% 15,719
P James Whitt 30% 9,976
Dan Holt 22% 7,297
“I’ll still be active on the
sidelines,” Holt said. “You
don’t have to be in the big seat
to influence the game.”
Peters, who was also running
for the one-year seat, compli-
mented Sessions on his cam-
paign but said he is disappoint-
ed he doesn’t get to be part of
the board’s future work. “I’m
optimistic the board is aware
that they need to roll up their
sleeves,” he said.
Now, the advocate for better
early childhood education said
he plans to “continue working
hard to help at-risk kids.”
“I want to help, but I’ll have
to do it through ways outside
the system instead of inside the
system,” Peters said. “That’s
the fork in the road for me.”
Missourian reporters April
Choi, Doug Davis and Jonathan
Hinderliter contributed to this
article.
hangout, as the results came
in. Sal Nuccio was working at
his bar, Eastside Tavern, on
Tuesday night. He attended no
campaign forums.
McDavid will accept the
mayor’s gavel from Hindman
after being sworn in Monday
night. His platform focused on
public safety, increasing eco-
nomic activity and preserving
neighborhoods. McDavid was
the only mayoral candidate
to strongly endorse downtown
cameras.
At candidate debates and
forums, McDavid repeatedly
said Columbia’s mayor must
be a salesperson for the city.
“I feel a sense of obligation
and responsibility going out to
represent Columbia,” McDavid
said Tuesday night. “Colum-
bia’s a great town, and it’s going
to become a greater town.”
Missourian reporters Chris Canipe
and Ryan Martin contributed
to this report.
“I don’t want it,” Kingery
said after voting. “They’re
spending too much money that
they don’t have. When you
spend money you don’t have,
taxes are going to go up. I was
brought up that if you don’t
have it, you don’t spend it.”
Belcher has said that the
money to operate the new
buildings for at least a couple
of years would come from the
district’s reserves, which have
been deliberately grown in
anticipation of new facilities.
Belcher’s schedule since
January has included more
than 80 appearances on behalf
of the bond issue.
“It’s good for the economy
and it’s a strong economic
driver, which I think is need-
ed,” he said a few weeks ago.
“But more importantly, it is
good for the students and the
educational program.”
Columbia Missourian
By Ashley Reinsch
and Victoria Guida
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Ten months after he was
assaulted in a downtown
Columbia parking garage,
Adam Taylor repeated final
election numbers into the
microphone as the crowd
around him cheered.
Proposition 1, which autho-
rizes placement of four securi-
ty cameras downtown, passed
with 59 percent of the vote
Tuesday.
Camera proponents packed
Shiloh Bar & Grill along with
Bob McDavid, the only mayor-
al candidate who supported the
proposition. The audience cel-
ebrated as the results showed
McDavid, Gary Kespohl and
Daryl Dudley won their respec-
tive races; all three were in
favor of Proposition 1.
“This is so exciting,” said
Karen Taylor, Adam Taylor’s
mother. Her petition put the
proposition on the ballot. “The
public was allowed to have
a choice and speak on this
issue.”
Karen Taylor founded the
organization Keep Colum-
bia Safe after seven people
attacked her son in June. A
security camera caught the
crime on tape, leading to the
arrests of five of the people
responsible.
“We still have another trial
left,” Karen Taylor said. “It’s
much more fun doing this
than going to trial.”
Members of Columbia Pro-
fessional Firefighters, who
stood out in their yellow “Fire
CONTINUED from page 1A
This year, Kespohl attacked
Skala, saying his votes had
cost the city jobs, that his
travel expenses were exorbi-
tant and that his vote in favor
of urban hens was misguided.
Kespohl, though visibly sur-
prised, was obviously pleased
with the outcome.
“I can’t even talk,” Kespohl
said as longtime friend Red
Leighton ran to embrace him.
“I couldn’t believe I came
back and won it,” he said later.
And during his victory speech,
he told those gathered, “I
pledge to do my best to bring
common-sense representation
to the Third Ward.”
About 40 people gathered
at the Pasta Factory to sup-
port Skala. A shocked hush
fell over friends and family
as the last precinct’s results
were posted.
“What are you acting so sad
about?” Skala said as his wife,
Mahree Skala, hugged him.
“I’m going fishing.”
Skala didn’t stray during
this campaign from positions
he pushed as a council mem-
ber. He believes that develop-
ers should contribute more to
the cost of new infrastructure
and that the city should ensure
infrastructure remains ahead
of development.
Kespohl, meanwhile,
focused his campaign on cre-
ating jobs and quickly promot-
ing growth and development to
spur economic activity and, in
turn, city revenue. He told the
Missourian that fast develop-
ment is more important than
planned development.
Fourth Ward
Dudley held his watch party
at Rio Grande Mexican Res-
taurant but was next door at
fellow candidate Sarah Read’s
party at Shakespeare’s West
when the final votes came in.
Dudley, looking over Read
campaign manager Dave
Overfelt’s shoulder, wore a
blank, serious expression
when the news struck. The
PROPOSITIONS
1: DOWNTOWN CAMERAS
P Yes 59% 11,093
No 41% 7,745
2-6: CITY CHARTER
AMENDMENTS
P All these passed. Read
more about them at
ColumbiaMissourian.com
Fighters for McDavid” T-shirts,
were pleased at the news. The
organization endorsed Propo-
sition 1 earlier this year.
“We’re all for anything that
puts more tools in the hands of
public safety,” said Brad Fraiz-
er, president of the group.
Tin Can Tavern and Grille
fell silent as the organization
Keep Columbia Free and oth-
ers opposing the proposition
saw the results.
“I don’t feel good about it,
but it was close enough,” said
Mark Flakne, secretary for
Keep Columbia Free. “Keep
Columbia Free is not going to
go away, and we’re going to
continue to fight.”
The proposition will now go
before the City Council, which
will decide how much money
to allot, if any, to the cam-
eras. Flakne said the next step
for Keep Columbia Free will
be to lobby to the council to
not fund the cameras. He said
there were still a lot of people
who voted against it.
Adam Taylor said Keep
Columbia Safe will regroup
and fight for other public safe-
ty issues it deems important.
Fourth Ward
winner Daryl
Dudley talks
with Pat
Wilson at
Rio Grande
Mexican
Restaurant.
COLLEEN
LEFHOLZ
manager of a Hy-Vee gas sta-
tion garnered 1,831 votes to
slip by Tracy Greever-Rice
with 1,772 votes, Read with
1,326 votes and Rick Buford
with 138 votes.
Dudley, who has no expe-
rience in city government,
decided to run after custom-
ers at his work complained
about road conditions. He
campaigned on a platform of
public safety and job growth.
His bid got a big boost when
the chamber endorsed him.
“Police, fire and streets are
the first on my agenda,” Dud-
ley said. “We need more police
officers. The police chief
needs all the help he can get.”
Greever-Rice, vice chair-
woman on the Columbia
Visioning Commission, cam-
paigned on a platform that
called for creating jobs, devel-
oping the city’s work force,
and improving infrastructure,
public safety and government
transparency.
Greever-Rice, who held a
lead as the results came in
most of the night, was shocked
by the final tally. So were her
friends and supporters at Tell-
er’s Gallery and Bar.
“Now we know how much
it costs to buy an election in
Columbia,” Greever-Rice said.
Guests at her party expressed
dismay that all the candidates
endorsed by the chamber won
their respective races.
Read, an attorney and co-
owner of The Communications
Center who specializes in
mediation, called for a broad
spectrum of public input as the
city moves ahead with growth
management planning. And
Buford, a data analyst for Car-
Fax, ran on a platform of fiscal
scrutiny focusing on essential
services such as police and
fire protection.
The new council members,
as well as Mayor-elect Bob
McDavid, will be sworn in on
Monday night.
Missourian reporters Alison
Gammon and Kerri Reynolds
contributed to this report.