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November 25, 2006
Election Roundup
Let’s summarize the winners and not-so-winners in this year’s local elections. I hate to say losers because we’re all winners, right?
Plus, let’s focus on the positives like Steve Bertagna who was quoted in the E-R saying: "Campaigning is always an eye-opening and fun experience for me. It's fun to be out communicating with the public.”
Bertagna has the right attitude - if you can't have some fun, don't bother entering politics.
I'll start out with the winners today and comment on the not-so-winners tomorrow.
WINNERS
Mary Flynn: She was the top vote getter and ran an impeccable campaign.
Scott Gruendl: The Mayor leading the “Council majority” got bruised quite a bit by negative direct mail, but he still ended up strong despite a lame campaign theme. Sorry, Scott, I can spell your name and even if I couldn’t spell it I don’t need you to tell me. Gruendl proves once again that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Tom Nickell: Win or lose, his vote tally is impressive for someone with little political experience. If he wins, he might be first City Councilor ever elected without either the News & Review or E-R endorsement. To my knowledge, every Councilor during the last few decades has received at least one or both newspaper endorsements.
Mark Sorensen: He kept getting better and better with each candidate forum. He’s a sharp guy. He should run again if he doesn’t win this year.
Maureen Kirk: She raised a heck of a lot of money from over 500 contributors averaging roughly $100. That’s a lot of financial support that didn’t come in large thousand dollar chunks like Bertagna's campaign. Lots of people thought she'd have a tougher time beating Bertagna in the general election compared to the primary. Kirk proved that you should not underestimate her.
Mary Anne Houx: She got sick before the election, but I believe she held on as long as she could to taste victory for Kirk. She’s left many marks on Butte County. Houx was certainly invested in Kirk’s campaign which, to a certain extent, is a validation for Houx and the legacy she hoped to leave.
Jane Dolan: She preferred to serve with Kirk on the Board of Supervisors and she got her wish.
Butte County Farm Bureau: A significant early endorser of Kirk who will now serve as a strong Farm Bureau ally on the Board of Supervisors.
Chico Firefighters Association: These fine public servants took a huge risk endorsing Gruendl, Flynn, and Nickell while bypassing incumbent Herbert. Their risk paid off since Herbert is not returning to the City Council.
Fred Brooks: The only CARD candidate who was not an incumbent beat Jan Sneed by 2,628 votes and Ed Seagle by 5,783 votes. Brooks might have been the only CARD candidate to send any direct mail to voters, which makes a huge difference.
Rick Rees: By far the top vote getter despite the controversies around Jeff Sloan. Rees is certainly helped by the fact that even if you disagree with him, he’s viewed as an all-around reasonable person.
Kathy Kaiser: She got lots of endorsements, but didn’t run much of a campaign. But her reputation helped carry her to the third CUSD seat.
Andrea Lerner-Thompson: She pulled into the second spot behind Rees despite not getting either The Chico Beat or E-R endorsements.
The Chico Beat: Many progressives in town already supported this fledgling newspaper. But after the News & Review endorsed Sorensen over Nickell, many progressive readers and some advertisers were disappointed with News & Review editors.
Today's Scrabble word is sharn, or cow dung.
Posted by dan_nt at November 25, 2006 12:01 AM