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SHERIFF’S REPORTS more
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Eileen more
Polk County Lincoln Day Dinner April 4th
Polk County Republicans are hosting their annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Thursday, April 4, beginning at 6 p.m. The dinner will be held at the McClelland Dining Facility on the campus of SBU. Local and state candidates who have filed for offices to be selected in the Primary Election on August 6, 2024, are expected to be there. This gives voters an opportunity to meet the candidates and become an informed voter. more
On Tuesday, March 19, the Bolivar School Board voted 5-2 to censure fellow member Brad Wommack for breaking school board policy, with Wommack and Ron Owens voting against the measure. Wommack is currently being investigated by the Missouri Ethics Committee (MEC) for his involvement with the Concerned Citizens of Bolivar and Polk County (CCBPC). Wommack and the committee are under investigation for not registering as a campaign committee when they purchased an ad in the Bolivar Herald-Free Press and sent out mailers denouncing the Ozark Technical College merger with the Bolivar school district measure on the ballot in November. Registering as a campaign committee and completing disclosure paperwork is a requirement under the law. The Ethics Committee is also looking into cash contributions collected by Wommack and the CCBPC, investigating if those contributions are in excess of state limits and if those contributions included incorrect ‘paid for by’ disclosures as required by law. In his defense, Wommack stated it was a simple misunderstanding of policy and that the CCBPC, “didn’t know the MEC would require this type of paperwork from such a small group.” He said his actions were not intentionally against the rules but he wanted the public to hear the other side of the OTC/Bolivar merger. The school board’s censure states Wommack violated school board policy in a couple of ways. The first point of discipline is because laws were broken. The second infraction was going against the will of the school board. As the censure states, “By orchestrating and the intentional misrepresentation of the facts about the tax levy ballot issue, Mr. Wommack failed to act in good faith.” The board claims that Wommack failed to uphold policy BBF, which states that board members avoid even the appearance of impropriety with the duty of public trust. In addition to these infractions, he is charged with demonstrating a “lack of respect for the board's collective decision-making process”…which states that board members can express personal opinions about an issue, but once the board has acted, one must accept the will of the majority. In essence, publicly coming out against something the board voted to support violates policy BBF. School board president, Paula Hubbert, explains the specific reasons Wommack was censured in Tuesday’s school board meeting, “The board of education bears the responsibility of governing itself. For that reason, it was essential that we demonstrate to our teachers, students, and all the district employees that if we expect them to abide by our board policy and obey the law, we have to hold each other accountable to the same standard.” Some are asking why implement the censure now and not wait until after the investigation. To this, Hubbert responds, “Even though the Missouri Ethics Commission investigation of Mr. Wommack is ongoing, his involvement in the initial investigation of the origin of the misleading ad and mailer opposing the tax levy uncovered his involvement.” Removing a board member is difficult. Hubbert breaks down the options available to them regarding the castigation of a board member, “In Missouri, a board of education has little recourse beyond censure against a member who has acted unethically. A board member can not be removed by a vote or petition by voters. This limited disciplinary action is a demonstration that other board members acknowledge the violation of board policy by the censured member.” The punishments enforced by the censure are as follows: Wommack is: Barred from all committee assignments Barred from all leadership positions Barred from representing the district at high school graduations until further notice. As for Wommack, he believes this detracts from the focus of the school board’s job and wants them to, “serve the needs of students, teachers, staff, administration, and taxpayers. We need to avoid all the other nonsense.”
School Board Censures Member
On Tuesday, March 19, the Bolivar School Board voted 5-2 to censure fellow member Brad Wommack for breaking school board policy, with Wommack and Ron Owens voting against the measure. more
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Deaths
DEATHS more
Brody Campbell keeping his eye on the ball. STAFF PHOTO/BOB CAMPBELL
Liberator boys tennis start the season with a win over Branson
The Branson Pirate's tennis team traveled to the Bolivar Liberators’ courts to start the tennis season. more
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NIE
New CMH Community Rooms open at LimeBank building
Citizens Memorial Hospital’s new Community Rooms at LimeBank are now open and available for reservations. The Community Rooms at the hospital closed March 1 in preparation for the hospital expansion construction. more
I SPY — Polk County
How well do you know Polk County? more
Fair Play announces third-quarter honor roll
All A more
Community Events
Thursday, March 21 more
After Easter celebration sing
3D Gospel featuring Delisa Dawn Spurgeon, from Lowry City, will be at Rondo Baptist Church at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 7. more
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