It was a fairly rapid count of ballots in the city election this evening as all 20 precincts were counted within one hour. When the dust cleared the results favored the Democrats in the race.
Jim Ireton swept to an easy win in the Mayoral primary while Gary Comegys narrowly defeated Bob Caldwell for the second spot, with Mike Della Penna trailing the field badly.
In District 1, the April finale is anyone’s race as just two votes separated the incumbent Shanie Shields and challenger Cynthia Polk. This sets up another possible turnover in the seat as Shields herself narrowly defeated incumbent Von Siggers in 2005 to win the District 1 bid. Tim Chaney placed third and Ralph McIntyre was fourth.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was Ireton’s margin of victory. Out of nearly 1400 votes cast (a dismal 11% turnout, which is not uncommon in city races) he garnered a vote on 60.2% of the votes cast (voters were allowed to select two candidates of the four in the field.) So Ireton was the first or second choice of a majority of the electorate; the question remaining for April is whether he’ll remain as a first choice without any Republicans in the running and with presumably a larger turnout.
With Bob Caldwell losing by such a slim margin, the pointing of blame may go to Mike Della Penna for possibly splitting off votes from Caldwell but I think more of the cause arises from the lack of a District 2 primary. This is particularly so when the candidate who dropped out and eliminated the need for a primary in that district, Bryan Brushmiller, previously ran as a Republican in 2006 for County Council. Because there were two GOP candidates it was possible to go straight ticket in the primary and perhaps Della Penna would have gained enough votes at Gary Comegys’ expense to advance Bob to the final polling.
This also sets up an interesting mayoral election because, while neither remaining candidate would be mistaken for Ronald Reagan in either the aspect of their political leanings or communication skills, Republican voters might opt for the more moderate tone and lengthier experience of Gary Comegys. But will it be enough to overcome a head start that Ireton has of about half again Comegys’ total?
Looking at District 1, the Shields-Polk battle is probably going to be the story of Election Day in April, with the contest possibly going to absentee ballots for resolution. Even moreso than the mayoral race, this race ultimately depends on who was the first choice and who was the second choice of those casting ballots today. I just have a hunch that this race will be an upset win for the challenger for the second time in a row.
The mayoral battle will also serve as a proxy for District 2. While challenger Muir Boda has already publicly announced his backing of Gary Comegys, Debbie Campbell would presumably favor working with Jim Ireton as mayor. But, one has to factor in the change in City Council should Comegys win and who would fill the District 2 seat. With the method of selecting a replacement based solely on the vote of City Council, (citing the City Charter here)
In case of a vacancy for any reason in the Council, the Council, within four (4) weeks of the occurrence of the vacancy, shall elect some qualified person to fill such vacancy for the unexpired term. In case of a vacancy for any reason in the office of Mayor, the Council, within four (4) weeks of the occurrence of the vacancy, shall elect some qualified person to serve as Acting Mayor for the unexpired term. Any vacancies in either the Council or the office of Mayor shall be filled by a majority vote of all the members of the Council. In case the Mayor or any Councilman shall fail to qualify within five (5) days of notification of election, a vacancy shall exist to be filled as provided in this section. The Council shall immediately certify any vote so taken to the City Clerk. The City Clerk shall record the vote and shall forthwith notify the person so elected, who shall, within five (5) days of notice, qualify in the manner as regularly elected city officials.
it will bear observation as to who the two competing factions of City Council (generally Louise Smith and Shanie Shields vote opposite of Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen) could agree on as a compromise candidate. Of course, all bets are off if Muir Boda and/or Cynthia Polk become Council members. Perhaps Campbell could grudgingly back Comegys if the right replacement is promised for Gary’s City Council seat, which would only be for a two-year term.
With five weeks now ticking away for tonight’s winners, look for a much more aggressive push for votes to get underway beginning tonight.
