MRN Top 10 Government Stories: Issues with Hannibal schools’ finances, superintendent switcheroo dominate top of list
When it came to readers and their concerns about how their tax dollars are handled by local governing bodies, the Hannibal School District grabbed the most popular headlines in 2024.
Whether it was Roy Webb changing his mind to become the district’s superintendent, Susan Johnson’s battles with the Hannibal School Board or the financial troubles facing the district, Hannibal readers flocked to Muddy River News to keep up to date.
However, nothing topped how the Quincy School Board disciplined a Quincy man for kicking an official during a girls basketball game in February.
Listed below are this year’s top stories involving local governing bodies, as determined by MRN analytics.
1. Mike Dade was attending the Jan. 30 game between the QHS and QND girls at the Pit. After his daughter was injured on a play in the fourth quarter, Dade came out on the floor to attend to her. While on the floor, he expressed his displeasure verbally to Todd Reichert, one of game’s three referees. Minutes later when play resumed, Reichert was standing in front of Dade on the baseline when Dade kicked Reichert in the small of the back, pushing him onto the court. Reichert turned and ejected Dade. The Quincy School District prevented Dade from attending any home Quincy High School athletic contests in any sport for the remainder of the school year.
2. Roy Webb said he declined the position of superintendent of the Hannibal School District for two reasons. He said he appreciated the School Board’s service to Hannibal and called them “all good people,” but believed the School Board’s climate “would be difficult for me to excel within.” He claimed the Hannibal School District had “inaccurate” finances and was “facing serious financial needs, a significant deficit this year and the risk of running out of funds.”
3. Mayor Mike Troup said after a May Quincy City Council meeting he had been speaking with developer Jim Otis, president of the Otis Company in Omaha, for three months about the property, just south of Sam’s Club. Troup said Otis had an option to buy the property and was asking for an incentive on the sales tax collected. “He’s done the engineering and testing, but (the property) needs a lot of work,” Troup said after the meeting. “Without an incentive from the city, it would make it extremely challenging for him.” The Quincy City Council voted in July to create a $1 million tax incentive to support the effort.
4. Roy Webb, who accepted the superintendent’s job with the Hannibal School District on Jan. 25, changed his mind on March 7. In an email to the district staff, Webb wrote, “In my 20 years as a superintendent, I feel I have always done what I felt was best for the students, staff, and schools in my charge. HPS will face some unique challenges in the near future. I believe the board needs someone with different skills than I possess. You deserve the best and most prepared leader.”
5. Roy Webb cited one of the reasons for his decision to walk away from the position of superintendent of the Hannibal School District as “inaccurate” finances within the school district, which he said was “facing serious financial needs” with a “risk of running out of funds.” The school district reported on March 12 that its revenues were on pace to come in at $47,674,135 — $979,642 less than the $48,653,777 it anticipated when the School Board passed the budget in July 2023. Expenditures were on pace to come in at $51,108,261 — $2,358,154 more than the $48,750,107 it anticipated.
6. The Hannibal Public School Board voted 5-2 for Susan Johnson to continue as the superintendent for the 2024-2025 school year. Jeff Evans and Scott Hawes voted against rehiring Johnson, stating she was engaging in insubordinate behavior. Hawes said he lost trust in Johnson after Webb’s resignation was reported. He claimed Johnson went into the schools and accused himself and Evans of leaking Webb’s resignation letter, implying it was a federal offense.
7. Quincy Regional Airport Director Chuck Miller said his relationship with Quincy Mayor Mike Troup forced him to notify the city of his plan to resign his position as airport manager on April 17. “I realize that with every positive there is often some negative that offsets the positive effects,” Miller said in an interview with Muddy River News. “In my case, that has been a combination of the attitudes, actions and insulting behaviors consistently displayed by the mayor toward me.”
8. When chairwoman Julie Brink asked Plan Commission members in August if they had questions for Dustyn Curran with Ryan Companies, Greg Fletcher — a Republican alderman in the city’s 1st Ward — piped up. “Are you disclosing who the tenant will be?” he asked. “We are not naming the user at this time,” Curran replied. “But you do have a tenant?” Fletcher asked. “We do,” Curran said. Mayor Mike Troup announced in November that a 59,000-square-foot Amazon warehouse/distribution center will be built at 42nd and Wisman Lane.
9. Cleanup work at a former landfill at 36th and Koch’s Lane was halted in August as city officials determined what to do after more trash was discovered than first thought. Director of Public Works Jeffrey Conte said the property, the site of what once was called Municipal Landfill No. 1, was sold in 1976. The property has been transferred through a couple of owners, and the current owner wants to build on the property. “When he started digging for his foundations, he found municipal trash,” Conte said. “It’s our liability. We put the trash there.”
10. Jason Deters told the Plan Commission that Deters Frozen Custard to Quincy would return with a drive-thru at 12th and Hampshire. Deters said the planned development called for two other businesses. One would be his own business, 3D Windows and Siding, and he said another could be a doctor’s office. “What we’re really going for is a nice outdoor patio seating area, something aesthetically pleasing in the front with a smaller custard cafe,” Deters said. “Then we’ll have two little commercial buildings behind that.” The City Council approved a special permit request at its June 3 meeting.
The rest of the top 20:
- 11. Lyons says goal of Park Board resignation is to expose Frankenhoff’s ‘toxicity and abhorrent behavior’
- 12. ‘It’s their problem now’: Adams County cedes all 48th Street intersection land to City of Quincy after going in circles over roundabout
- 13. Local business owner says she’s been contacted by Nazi Party; Human Rights Commission wants to learn if others have too
- 14. ‘Are they learning anything or are they just playing?’ Quincy pastor wants to address low reading scores
- 15. Marx asking for $250,000 for improvements to Sears building
- 16. ‘I’ve had enough misinformation’: Austin discusses his past TIF projects, why he believes TIFs work, why he fights for them — and makes a promise
- 17. After aldermen reject roundabout project, Snider says he’s ready to turn intersection over to city
- 18. Gough: Farha says medical issues led to tax problems as he considers future as 4th Ward alderman
- 19. Former QPS maintenance facility sells for $250,000; will become indoor mountain bike park
- 20. ‘We don’t deserve this’: Employee threatens legal action after embattled Park Board commissioner refuses to resign
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