Local Voters Reject Bond Issues In Tuesday’s Elections

Tuesday's elections saw several local school districts proposing bond issues to residents to help fund local school building and upgrading. Six bond issues were presented to voters in Southwest Oklahoma, and for the most part, voters were not in an agreeable mood.

Voters in Sterling, Cache, Rush Springs and Carnegie sent proposals to defeat, while voters in Randlett and Fletcher approved bond issues. Voters in Cache denied a request for a $22.7 million bond issue for the second time in the last six months. While the issue met with approval by 55% of those residents that voted in Cache, a "supermajority" of 60% was required for passage. The bond issue in Carnegie fell to a similar vote, gaining only 56% of the votes cast, while voters in Sterling and Rush Springs gave only 52.6% approval and in Rush Springs, two school bond proposition went down to defeat.

In Randlett, voters in the Big Pasture School District approved a $440,000 bond for improvements including new buses and building improvements and upgrades, while voters in Fletcher approved a $220,000 transportation bond which will be used to purchase 2 buses and a sports utility vehicle for the school district.

In Duncan, Patty Wininger defeated former City Manager Clyde Shaw for the vacant Ward 3 City Council seat. Wininger received 89.78% of the votes cast. In Cement, 66% of the votes were cast for Belinda Chandler, who defeated Shelley in the Public School Board run-off.

In Lawton, a highly contended run-off for the vacant Ward 7 seat on the City Council was decided in favor of F. Gay F. McGahee, who had been appointed to the seat last October after the death of long-time City Councilman Stanley Haywood. In a race that came down to the very end, McGahee edged Jesse Cross by a very slim 51.42% to 48.58% margin. McGahee will serve out the current term that runs through January of 2018.

source: Lawton Constitution, KSWO news