By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Two posts on the Carthage School Board and two on the Carthage City Council will be decided when voters go to the polls on April 6.
In the School Board race, two incumbents and three challengers are in the running for the two, three-year terms to be decided.
Two incumbents and two challengers are vying for Carthage City Council seats from the 3rd Ward and the 5th Ward. Candidates for mayor and for three other council seats are running without opposition.
City Council members serve for two years, while there is a four-year term for Carthage mayor. Councilman Mike Harris is running unopposed for that seat; he will replace Mayor Jim Woestman, who did not run for re-election.
School Board
Candidates are Debbie Baugh and Mark A. Westhoff, both incumbents, and challengers Justin Neel Baucom, Amy L. Jennings and Alan Snow.
Baugh, 51, lives on County Road 120 and is a development supervisor with the Missouri Division of Workforce Development.
She has been a resident of the Carthage district for 28 years. She attended Crowder College and has training as a paralegal.
Baugh is finishing her third term on the board and said she wants to serve “because this is the best way I know how to give back to the community.”
“I’m interested in making sure our kids have the best education possible, and that we have the best teachers and facilities that we can afford to provide,” she said.
Westhoff, 52, who lives on Gum Road, is a dentist with Carthage Dental Associates.
He has lived in the district for 10 years and is seeking his third term on the board. He received his undergraduate degree from Missouri State University and his graduate degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Westhoff said he wants to continue service on the board to help continue the progress that’s been made by the district, in areas including building expansion and academic achievement.
Baucom, 29, who lives on Euclid Boulevard, is an attorney.
He is a lifelong resident of the district and a graduate of Carthage High School. Baucom has an undergraduate degree from Missouri State University and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma.
He said running for the board “is something I’ve always wanted to do because I’m proud to be from the Carthage school system and I want to be involved.”
Baucom said service on the School Board is something of a family tradition. He said his father, Neel Baucom, and grandfather, Frank Knell, both had been board members.
Snow, 45, who lives on Euclid Boulevard, works for Leggett & Platt Inc. and has lived in the district for seven years. He ran for the School Board a year ago.
He graduated from high school in Girard, Kan., and holds a bachelor’s degree in technology from Pittsburg (Kan.) State University.
He said his primary motivation for seeking a board post is his three children, who are students in district schools.
“I want to do what’s best for them and the other kids in the district,” he said.
Also on the ballot is Jennings, who is not running an active campaign. Jennings has said she will not be able to serve if she is elected.
City Council
Debbie Carter will challenge incumbent John Studebaker for a 3rd Ward post.
Carter, 56, who lives on South McGregor Street, has been a Carthage resident for about 15 years. She is a contractor with the Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad. She graduated from high school in Dumas, Texas. This is her first run for public office.
Carter said she is seeking a council post because she wanted “to get involved.”
“I think I can bring some fresh ideas,” she said. “I want to keep Carthage the good town it is now.”
Studebaker, 65, who lives on South Garrison Avenue, retired last July from Leggett & Platt Inc. He is a graduate of Sarcoxie High School and has lived in Carthage for 21 years.
He said he is running for re-election “because I like being on the council and help making decisions for the city. I just want to do what’s best for Carthage.”
The race for the 5th Ward council seat involves the incumbent and another candidate with council experience.
Brent Greninger is running for his first full term after being appointed to the 5th Ward seat, and Ron Wells is seeking the 5th Ward post after moving from the 2nd Ward, from which he previously served three council terms.
Greninger, 42, who lives on Hazel Street, is co-owner of Grand Rental Station in Carthage and a real estate broker with Smith-Midwest. He is a Carthage native and attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he studied management.
He said he enjoys his council service because it helps him be better informed and involved in what’s going on in Carthage.
Wells, 59, who lives on South Maple Street, is retired after a career in the Army and works at Lowe’s in Carthage. He has an associate degree in general studies, plus studies in the military.
He said is he is running because he was encouraged to do so by a number of residents.
“I just feel the citizens need a voice on the council,” he said.
Unopposed candidates for Carthage council seats are Claude Newport, 1st Ward; Timothy Teed, 2nd Ward; and Mike Riley, 4th Ward.
Write-in
Write-in votes will decide the winner of a one-year Carthage council term from the 2nd Ward. There are no candidates on the ballot.
