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Kirchner & Bell narrowly lose to Wysocki & Beckett - 4 More Years of a Conservative County Board |
Current rating: 0 |
by Ida
(No verified email address) |
21 Mar 2006
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With all precincts reporting, progressives Bob Kirchner and Lisa Bell lost to conservatives Barb Wysocki and Steve Beckett in the Democractic primary for County Board District 9 (covering Historic East & SE Urbana). Lisa Bell lost by a slim 6 vote margin. |
The vote totals were:
Beckett - 800 votes
Wysocki - 789 votes
Bell - 783 votes
Kirchner - 753 votes
As someone who has followed this race closely, in my opinion, the reasons Kirchner and Bell lost are:
1) Republicans raided the Democratic primary (again). Wysocki and Beckett (along with Brendan McGinty) have a history of voting with the Republicans for personal gain. In return for their vote to oust board chair Trisha Avery, Wysocki was given the chair, Beckett Vice Chair, and newcower McGinty got a key committee chair position. These three were also loyal Republicans in voting against a racial disparity study of county contracts and against cooperative funding for important county roads on the fringe of the cities (sounds like a boring issue, but it will cost you city dwellers dearly). My guess is that they will vote Republican on the jail issue too.
2) The Green party ran Nick Mann as a candidate in County Board 9. 15 people pulled Green Ballots in District 9. If 7 of those 15 had pulled Democratic ballots, Lisa Bell would have unseated Wysocki, the chair of the County Board. This would have been a major coup.
Ironically, a recent Green party mailer calling for people to pull Green ballots eschewed the extreme "partisanship" of Democrats in this race. The biggest show of partisanship was done today by those Greens in County Board 9 who voted symbolically for an uncontested candidate (Nick Mann) thus aiding conservatives over progressives in the Democratic primary.
That said, I think all hands should be on deck to elect Green party candidate Joe Futrelle in County Board 8 (West Urbana) this November. Joe will kick butt over Democratic encumbent Ralph Langenheim, known for his racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks.
3) Although Lisa and Bob ran a very strong race door to door, in their media coverage, there was a lot of nit picking over petty issues - such as whether Wysocki used a stamp and stationary from the county office for her election.
We wanted to hear more about the *important issues* which are:
- What are strategies for preventing the need to build another jail?
- Whether a racial disparity study of county contracts happens or not (it won't now that Bell and Kirchner lost), what are the strategies for changing the well know fact (study or no study) that county contracts are rarely if ever going to African-American owned businesses?
- Health care - Champaign County Health Care Consumers have made it abundantly clear the shortfalls in health care in this county. I expected the candidates to speak about what they would do to further access to health care. I understand why Lisa Bell would be shy of speaking about increasing any funding for dental access, but she and Bob could have talked about other kinds of care.
These issues: criminal justice, racial equity, and access to health care do not end with today's race.
Now that we know Wysocki and Beckett are 99% likely to stay, its time we vote with our feet.
For example ...
Today, Tuesday, March 21st is a peaceful/persistent demonstration calling for equal justice in front of the courthouse. It is organized by Communty Court Watch which has been mobilized by recent examples of flagrantly unequal application of justice. See:
http://cucpj.freeshell.org/flyer.pdf.
Meet at 12:45 at the IMC in the downtown Urbana post office and go over to the court house at 1 PM.
PROSECUTE HJORT! DISBAR SILVERMAN! DROP THE BOGUS NO EVIDENCE CHARGES AGAINST THOMPSON! EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL! NO NEW JAIL! |
See also:
http://www.champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/results/2006/docs/mar/03_21_2006_summary.pdf
http://www,countyboard9.org
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This work is in the public domain. |
Comments
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Updates on the vote totals |
by updater
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Mar 2006
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Actually, the game ain't over yet. There are 39 absentee, provisional, and grace period ballots from District 9 yet to be counted, so Lisa could win yet. We will know April 4th.
Also, Nick Mann got 17 votes, not 15.
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2006/03/22/beckett_wysocki_unofficial_winners_but_all_votes_not_in_yet |
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What About the Clueless? |
by what were they thinking?
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Mar 2006
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While casting about for explanantions, let's not neglect the clueless, apparently ignorant voter. The not quite final vote summary shows that there were 114 undervotes in the District 9 race.
My understanding is that these occur when someone does not mark two choices in this race. If you vote for only one candidate or none in such a race, it counts as an undervote.
This is not to suggest that voters should not vote for someone if they honestly don't feel a choice was offered. In my own case, I didn't vote for Lisa Madigan for attorney general. I think she is just another politoco who is building a career on the backs of a failed "drug war," the disadvantaged, and her daddy's reputation. Illinois certainly has enough "royalty" already, without perpetuating another royal family. Look at the national level, where the uniquely unqualified son of a Bush is dragging everything this country is supposed to stand for through the mud. And there was no alternative to Madigan offered on the ballot, so I just didn't vote for her.
But really, this is no reason for not having cast two votes in the District 9 county board race. There were clear choices persented to the voters. If you really can't make up your mind about which is the lesser of the two evils, at least ask for advice and vote for someone when you enter the polling booth. The 114 undervotes could have thrown this race either way. |
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Think Globally -- Act Locally |
by what were they thinking?
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Mar 2006
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Another significant factor in the District 9 race was the failure of the Democrats in general to trun out their base of support. True, cross-over ballots by Republicans voting a Democratic primary ballot hurt.
But consider something the News-Gazette's Tom Kacich -- otherwise not a credible source for what is really going on with local politics -- noted in today's edition. While Champaign County has now turned into a fairly reliable Democratic majority area in presidential election years, the failure of those who typically pick a Democrat for president to even bother voting in local elections was a handicap from the start in the attempt to unseat conservative, crypto-Republicans Beckett and Wysocki. In Tuesday's primary, 14,293 Republicans voted, compared to just 7,161 Democratic ballots being cast.
If Dems showed up to defend their values locally, the Republican crossovers wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference.
Likewise, adding in the undervotes I noted earlier, the tendency of some Dems to blame the Greens for this defeat is not just silly, but factually wrong. It simply wasn't enough to make difference.
Being in District 9, at least I will have a Green to vote for come November. If the still-uncounted ballots don't change the primary results, my other vote will be an undercount. I will definitley NOT be voting for Beckett or Wysocki nor for whatever Republican might run against them. |
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Re: Kirchner & Bell narrowly lose to Wysocki & Beckett - 4 More Years of a Conservative County Board |
by Rachael
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Mar 2006
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Barbara Wysocki and Steve Beckett are Democrats. They just don't meet the narrow criteria established by the caustic faction of the local Democratic party. This caustic faction is predictable: they create beautiful web sites filled with light-weight "news" stories and lists of endorsements; election after election, the same 15 people write strident letters to the editor attacking the Democrats who don't fit their mold; and in general, their campaign consist of personal attacks and focus on one or two issues that don't mean much. The tactics of the caustic faction are turning Democrats off to the party. The local Democratic party used to be inclusive and idealistic and FUN; it worked for environmental, social, and economic progress but it also encouraged cooperative, inclusive, community-based efforts. The caustic faction doesn't. It's more interested in vengeance and it judges Democrats by those who agree with their narrow point of view and those who don't.
Local politics means you work with local people. Your neighbors can vote Green, Republican, Democratic---what matters is that you do what's best for your community and county. Barbara and Steve have worked for this community for many years. They have made many friends and have earned the respect and support of many residents, Republicans and Democrats.
Barbara Wysocki worked harder and more productively than Patricia Avery ever did as chair. For the first time in decades, the county board has been more functional than fractional. That's because of Barbara. I hope she stays. |
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Re: Kirchner & Bell narrowly lose to Wysocki & Beckett - 4 More Years of a Conservative County Board |
by Urbana neighbor
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
27 Mar 2006
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I have no personal knowledge about the character of Mr. Kirchner, but I have known Lisa Bell for a long time. Most people don't know the "other" face of Lisa Bell. Personally speaking, I am greatly relieved that she is not in power. She can be surprisingly vindictive and self-righteous, unable to accept that she makes mistakes, as I have personally observed on more than one occasion in our neighborhood.
We may not agree with everything that Beckett & Wysocki propose, however, I am relieved that Ms. Bell will not be given the opportunity to abuse control and power in a governmental office in my community. |
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