Who will fill the seats?: Bakersfield school board candidates


Chris Bales

Mike Scott

Mike Zimmer


These candidates are running  in contested races in county

The residents whose “profiles” appear on this page are running in Ozark County’s five contested races in the April 3 general municipal election. They are seeking seats on school boards in Bakersfield and Gainesville, village boards in Bakersfield and Theodosia, and the mayor’s race in Gainesville.
Seats are also expiring in other school and municipal boards (see related story, page 1), but candidates in those races are running unopposed, and state law allows government boards to bypass elections when the number of candidates and the number of vacancies is the same.
The Ozark County Times sent brief questionnaires to the candidates in the contested races, asking them to limit their responses to a total of 400 words. The questionnaires asked the candidates about their present employment, their skills and life experiences that qualify them for the positions they seek, the greatest challenges facing the organization they hope to represent, the goals they hope to accomplish if elected and any personal information they wanted to share.
The profiles have been edited to fit the newspaper’s format and, where possible, the edited drafts have been approved by the candidates.

Bakersfield school board candidates

Chris Bales
Current employment:  I own Bales Welding and Pearson Piping LLC and also own and operate a cattle ranch.
Skills and life experiences:  I graduated from Bakersfield in 2003; I am an FFA American Degree recipient. I worked as a professional welder for 11 years. After starting as a welder and working all positions available, I withdrew from that work as a project superintendent and started my own business. I believe students who don’t have a college degree in mind should be allowed the opportunity to learn more hands-on skills at school. I also believe that all kids should be allowed equal opportunities. I coach youth basketball, baseball and football. I play single A football for the Arkansas Tornadoes, and I am a board member of the Ozarks Football Association. After a successful year last year, I will be taking another third-fourth-grade team to Mountain Home to play football this year. Hopefully in the future this could be a high school option for Bakersfield. I would like the kids to have more opportunities to be involved in clubs, sports and trips.
Biggest challenge facing the school district: The biggest challenge I see is safety at school. I am a firm believer in armed staff at the school.
What goals do you hope to accomplish? I feel that the town of Bakersfield could use some improvement more so than the school. This might sound like a goal that is off subject, but the more businesses, housing and revenue in our town, the better the school will continue to get. So a goal of mine is to see the local economy invest in itself.
Personal: My wife also graduated from Bakersfield (in 2007). We have three children attending school at Bakersfield.

Mike Scott
Current employment:  I do civil engineering work for Consolidated Land Services in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
Skills and life experiences: I’ve been on the Bakersfield school board for nine years now, which gives me a good understanding of the role of the board and its members. In my engineering work, I am responsible for multiple aspects of a project and have to use critical thinking to solve problems, which translates to my work on the school board in a positive way.
Biggest challenge facing the school district: In today’s reality, I think student safety is on the forefront of everyone’s mind. Making sure the students get a quality education while maintaining a safe learning environment is a major concern of mine.
What goals do you hope to accomplish? I would like to continue to see more of our students pursue additional education after graduation, whether it be college or a  technical school. In today’s competitive job market, I think having additional training gives them a valuable advantage against the competition.  
Personal: I graduated from Bakersfield High School in 1991 and from Missouri University of Science & Technology in 1996. I’ve been married to my wife, Amy, for 20 years. We have two sons, Nathan and Logan, who both attend Bakersfield School.

Mike Zimmer

Current employment: Timberland Forest Products

Skills and life experiences: I have six years’ previous experience as a school board member for Bakersfield R-IV School District. I am currently employed at Timberland Forest, where I am responsible for the scheduling and pickup of their forestry products. This requires careful planning and quick decision-making in order to meet customer requirements. I believe these skills would be a benefit in helping plan the future of our school. 

Biggest challenge facing the school district: The biggest challenge is providing a great education for students with the constantly changing government requirements and financial fluctuations.
What goals do you hope to accomplish? I hope to help continue the progress of helping students get a great education and providing as many beneficial tools for them as possible.

Personal: My wife, Tracie, and I live in the Bakersfield area. We have two children in Bakersfield School: Laken is in middle school, and Brock is in elementary. I have always loved the one-on-one attention a small school offers its students. Bakersfield is a great school and has an amazing staff that goes above and beyond for their students every day. I would love the opportunity to help them as a board member.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423