Mees, new to running, leads in vote tally

First-time candidate Jan Mees raised the most money, by far, in her bid for a seat on the Columbia School Board. In Tuesday’s election, she also got the most votes.

“Obviously I appreciate my voters’ overwhelming support,” Mees said late Tuesday, “and when I take my seat on the board, I will be there for them through the good and the bad.”

Karla DeSpain, the current board president, got her wish for a third term. But at her watch party at Chris McD’s, she said again that it will be her last term. “Unequivocal,” she said.

Michael Tan, who teaches education at William Woods University in Fulton, lost his second bid for a seat on the board. That’s enough, he said, after it became clear he could not catch up with Mees and DeSpain.

“I’ve done all that I can do,” he said.

Tan also said he will not apply for a seat recently vacated by board vice president Don Ludwig.

“I don’t think Columbia’s ready for change,” Tan said.

He received 8,040 votes, or 26.9 percent of the ballots cast Tuesday, while Mees got 11,142 votes, or 37.4 percent, and DeSpain got 10,575, or 35.5 percent.

In campaign finance reports filed March 26, Mees had raised $14,377, DeSpain had raised $1,857 and Tan had raised $1,143.

DeSpain, who has been on the board since 2001, said she was surprised but pleased that Mees led her in the vote tally. She awaited the results with her husband, John, and, for the early part of the evening, daughters Ryanne and Caitlin. Board members Steve Calloway, Darin Pries and Chuck Headley, whose term is ending, were among the 35 or so people who came out to support DeSpain.

“I’m very excited about the possibility of working with Jan and the structure of the board moving forward,” DeSpain said. The two have worked together before, when Mees was with the Columbia Community Teachers

Association. DeSpain called Mees “reasonable and rational.”

Mees, meanwhile, held her election watch party at Jack’s Gourmet Restaurant with her husband, Bill, son Greg and about 40 friends.

Tan was joined by his wife, Rachel, and daughter Kristina, as well as about 35 friends, at Jimmy’s Family Steakhouse.

Two seats on the seven-member board — one of them DeSpain’s — were available. The third seat came open last month after Ludwig’s wife, Sally Beth Lyon, was named assistant superintendent, and he stepped down to avoid conflicts of interest.

DeSpain said at the time that the board will hold public interviews for two weeks and then name someone to take the final year of Ludwig’s term.

Although new to the board, Mees worked for Columbia Public Schools for 21 years; she retired from Hickman High School last spring as director of its media center. School board member Michelle Gadbois, who worked with Mees at Hickman, said she hoped Mees would win.

“With her educational background, my feeling is that she will be perfect for the job,” Gadbois said.

All three candidates favored approval of the $60 million bond issue, but their stances varied on teacher salaries. Tan supports merit pay, Mees opposes it, and DeSpain supports it but sees challenges in the execution.

Mees attended board meetings leading up to the election. She will be sworn in at Monday’s meeting, then new officers will be elected.