36 Hours (Council 11.08.2005)
Lakewood City Council always has a meeting the evening before the Fall General Election. When the election is for our local Lakewood offices and issues, the meeting sometimes has an eerie, surreal quality to it. This article’s council report will be a chronicle–one person’s view–of the 36 hours from election eve through the day after the election.
A review of the agenda prior to the meeting revealed a perfunctory list of items to be considered. As if by common agreement, this meeting can’t contain anything controversial, and it has to be short. A fast meeting is essential because several of the candidates in Tuesday’s election are attending. They are tired. There are last minute preparations to be made. Lurking in the shadows is the possibility that there still might be hot embers waiting to ignite from a final weekend of campaign pyrotechnics.
Therefore, a short, dispassionate meeting is in everybody’s interest.
That goal was met in fewer than 30 minutes because the agenda items were predominately second readings of ordinances from the Finance Department. These had to do with the establishment of the switchover of income tax collection from a regional agency to the city. Also, the State requires cities to formally set the property tax millage rates annually. This was passed by ordinance.
6:15 AM: Tuesday–Election Day. Booth workers have been setting up since six o’clock. Volunteers for the candidates and issues are gathering, mustering up outside the polling locations. They are the poll watchers who will try to persuade or reassure voters as they enter the polling location, that their candidate is the best.
6:30 AM: the presiding judge at each location intones, “The polls are now open.”
On the ballot are the runoff candidates who survived the October primary election. For the unexpired term for Ward I council are Ryan Salo and Kevin Butler. Six candidates are vying for the three at-large seats. Veteran election observers have conceded two of the three seats to incumbents Michael Dever and Edward Fitzgerald. The remaining third seat is hotly contested by candidates Nikki Antonio, Daniel Brennan, Timothy Carroll and Suzanne Horrigan.
In a campaign, even without a vote being taken, judgments are based on perceived voter opinions. These judgments are then translated into political moves. In a local election these moves are usually manifested by producing and distributing campaign literature. The final weekend’s literature featured Antonio, Brennan, and Carroll as competitors, thereby verifying those candidates’ perception that only one seat was truly open. The ward one seat was vigorously contested with the distribution of narrowly targeted literature in an effort to move voters at the edges.
Also of local note were two uncontested school board seats and three charter issues.
That’s the set-up; now the election and aftermath.
Various voters’ reports during the day have indicated light voter turnout and a modest level of volunteer enthusiasm.
The wait, now, is for 7:30 PM, the close of polls. At that time, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections releases the absentee voter results, which have been previously counted by computer. By 9:30 the outcome should be clear.
7:55 PM: a visit to the Board of Elections web site shows some early returns. However, there is too little data to make any predictions.
8:20 PM: the Board of Elections web site has crashed!
8:55 PM: another brief trickle lights up the screen and starts to show an emerging trend for the at-large race with Antonio solidly in third. The Board of Elections web site crashes again. A fast move over to the WKYC web site shows that they have picked up the ball on reporting after the Board has fumbled it.
9:45 PM: finally, enough results have come in to call Butler the winner in ward one and Antonio the winner of the third at-large seat. Two out of the three charter issues are passing.
10:20 PM: with the outcome clear, Mayor Tom George travels to Sullivan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant to congratulate Kevin Butler and Ed Fitzgerald. Then it’s a quick trip to Niko’s Restaurant to the Antonio victory party. Finally, the Mayor makes a last stop at Around the Corner Saloon and Cafe to give Mike Dever a congratulatory handshake.
11:30 PM: it’s over. This special election report will wrap up with some thoughts provided by the new winners on Wednesday morning.
Kevin Butler said, “I recognize that this election was a close race. In the end, I think the voters responded to an issues oriented campaign on my part and I want to acknowledge that with a lot of hard work for them as their councilman.”
Nikki Antonio said “I did a lot of listening during the campaign and I will continue that. This is an exciting time for Lakewood and I want to bring that excitement and enthusiasm to council.”
Mayor Tom George said “Passage of Issues 58 and 59 are important aspects of our long term plan to address our City’s financial condition and to address our 100 year old infrastructure needs.”
Reported by Stan Austin- Lakewood Observer City Council Reporter
A review of the agenda prior to the meeting revealed a perfunctory list of items to be considered. As if by common agreement, this meeting can’t contain anything controversial, and it has to be short. A fast meeting is essential because several of the candidates in Tuesday’s election are attending. They are tired. There are last minute preparations to be made. Lurking in the shadows is the possibility that there still might be hot embers waiting to ignite from a final weekend of campaign pyrotechnics.
Therefore, a short, dispassionate meeting is in everybody’s interest.
That goal was met in fewer than 30 minutes because the agenda items were predominately second readings of ordinances from the Finance Department. These had to do with the establishment of the switchover of income tax collection from a regional agency to the city. Also, the State requires cities to formally set the property tax millage rates annually. This was passed by ordinance.
6:15 AM: Tuesday–Election Day. Booth workers have been setting up since six o’clock. Volunteers for the candidates and issues are gathering, mustering up outside the polling locations. They are the poll watchers who will try to persuade or reassure voters as they enter the polling location, that their candidate is the best.
6:30 AM: the presiding judge at each location intones, “The polls are now open.”
On the ballot are the runoff candidates who survived the October primary election. For the unexpired term for Ward I council are Ryan Salo and Kevin Butler. Six candidates are vying for the three at-large seats. Veteran election observers have conceded two of the three seats to incumbents Michael Dever and Edward Fitzgerald. The remaining third seat is hotly contested by candidates Nikki Antonio, Daniel Brennan, Timothy Carroll and Suzanne Horrigan.
In a campaign, even without a vote being taken, judgments are based on perceived voter opinions. These judgments are then translated into political moves. In a local election these moves are usually manifested by producing and distributing campaign literature. The final weekend’s literature featured Antonio, Brennan, and Carroll as competitors, thereby verifying those candidates’ perception that only one seat was truly open. The ward one seat was vigorously contested with the distribution of narrowly targeted literature in an effort to move voters at the edges.
Also of local note were two uncontested school board seats and three charter issues.
That’s the set-up; now the election and aftermath.
Various voters’ reports during the day have indicated light voter turnout and a modest level of volunteer enthusiasm.
The wait, now, is for 7:30 PM, the close of polls. At that time, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections releases the absentee voter results, which have been previously counted by computer. By 9:30 the outcome should be clear.
7:55 PM: a visit to the Board of Elections web site shows some early returns. However, there is too little data to make any predictions.
8:20 PM: the Board of Elections web site has crashed!
8:55 PM: another brief trickle lights up the screen and starts to show an emerging trend for the at-large race with Antonio solidly in third. The Board of Elections web site crashes again. A fast move over to the WKYC web site shows that they have picked up the ball on reporting after the Board has fumbled it.
9:45 PM: finally, enough results have come in to call Butler the winner in ward one and Antonio the winner of the third at-large seat. Two out of the three charter issues are passing.
10:20 PM: with the outcome clear, Mayor Tom George travels to Sullivan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant to congratulate Kevin Butler and Ed Fitzgerald. Then it’s a quick trip to Niko’s Restaurant to the Antonio victory party. Finally, the Mayor makes a last stop at Around the Corner Saloon and Cafe to give Mike Dever a congratulatory handshake.
11:30 PM: it’s over. This special election report will wrap up with some thoughts provided by the new winners on Wednesday morning.
Kevin Butler said, “I recognize that this election was a close race. In the end, I think the voters responded to an issues oriented campaign on my part and I want to acknowledge that with a lot of hard work for them as their councilman.”
Nikki Antonio said “I did a lot of listening during the campaign and I will continue that. This is an exciting time for Lakewood and I want to bring that excitement and enthusiasm to council.”
Mayor Tom George said “Passage of Issues 58 and 59 are important aspects of our long term plan to address our City’s financial condition and to address our 100 year old infrastructure needs.”
Reported by Stan Austin- Lakewood Observer City Council Reporter
Volume 1, Issue 11, Posted 09.09 AM / 12th November 2005.
