Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The updated numbers are now in for the City of Tucson election. As of 13:43:36 on November 4, 2009. with 100% of precincts reporting, here are the unofficial results:
City Council Ward 3
Karin Uhlich (D) 30,350 47.22%
Ben Buehler-Garcia (R) 29,906 46.53%
Mary DeCamp (G) 3,928 6.11%
City Council Ward 5
Richard Fimbres (D) 33,847 53.25%
Shaun McClusky (R) 29,560 46.51%
City Council Ward 6
Nina Trasoff (D) 31,116 48.78%
Steve Kozachik (R) 32,448 50.87%
Prop. 200 Public Safety First Initiative
Yes 19,510 29.72%
No 46,139 70.28%
Prop. 400 Home Rule Budget Override
Yes 31,671 49.42%
No 32,416 50.58%
Prop. 401 TUSD Operations Budget Override
Yes 26,206 40.96%
No 37,778 59.04%
Prop. 402 TUSD Technology Budget Override
Yes 24,821 38.77%
No 39,199 61.23%
*All other school districts not reported here
If memory serves correctly, I believe that Nina Trasoff may be the first Democratic city council incumbent defeated since the "Water Rates Recall Election" in January 1977, when Democratic incumbents Douglas Kennedy, Margot Garcia, and Barbara Weymann were defeated by Republican recall candidates Richard Amlee, Cheri Cross, and Schuyler "Sky" Lininger. A fourth Republican recall candidate, James Hooten, replaced Democrat Robert Cauthorn, who elected not to stand for recall. Hooten and Lininger lost to Democrats George Miller and Tom Volgy a few months later in November 1977. Cross lost in 1979 and Amlee chose not to run in 1979. Tucson voters are fickle – let that be a warning to you.
The failure of Prop. 400 is just ignorant. This was a no-brainer. It allows Tucson to spend the tax revenue it collects over an arbitrary spending limit imposed by the state legislature. There is an estimated $21 million in tax revenues this year that will have to be put into a bank account, rather than spent on city budget items. This will add another $21 million to the city budget deficit next year. Way to go geniuses. This item will be referred back to the ballot again.
The big losers in this race are the GOP "brain trust" of Bill Arnold, Bruce Ash and Jim Click who spent a small fortune of their own money on Prop. 200 and independent expenditure committees to buy a city council, and all they've got to show for it is "the Koz."
TUSD has failed three times now for a budget override. It will now have to take an election cycle or two off and make substantial improvements in administration before going back to the well again.
NB: I should have clarified for readers that the above unofficial results are the preliminary first batch run of ballots, early ballots verified before Election Day and ballots cast on Election Day. I am well aware that there are still thousands of ballots yet to be counted. Ward 3 and Ward 6 remain too close to call, and Prop. 400 may yet pass in the end. I am told we should have final numbers on Friday. There is a distinct possibility of a close finish in one or more contests that may result in a recount. Pima County Republican Party Chairman Bob Westerman was already threatening a recount before the votes were even counted on Election night. GOP: Willing to Ask for Recount Chill out Bob. My commentary is on the preliminary vote count. If things change, we will report it here, don't worry.
The Tucson Weekly reports Election 2009: What's Left To Count:
[Brad] Nelson's ballot breakdown:
Nelson has received roughly 5,700 early ballots from Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez that arrived on Monday and Tuesday but didn't get processed in time to be counted on Election Day.
Rodriguez has received roughly 5,500 ballots from Nelson that were dropped off at polling places on Election Day.
Rodriguez has an estimated 2,600 provisional ballots that require a closer check to ensure that the voter was eligible to cast a ballot.
Nelson has about 2,000 ballots that were somehow screwed up by the voter. (For example, a voter might have circled a name instead of filling out an oval or used a red pen that wouldn't be picked up by the scanning equipment. In those cases, the county duplicated the ballot and counts it.)
Nelson tells us that no counting of these ballots will begin until tomorrow.
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Yes, cutting off your nose to spite your face is the act of a rational mind. Prop. 400 is NOT a tax and does not increase anyone’s taxes. The tax revenue already exists. It just allows the city to spend money it collects over and above an artificially low spending limit adopted years ago in another failed GooGoo attempt to reform government. The law should be repealed so that cities do not have to go through a “home rule” budget override election every four years – and risk this kind of ignorant result.
Man, so much disdain for voters in donkey-land, I am surprised. The voters have spoken and they told the city of Tucson to spend less. The rules of government apply to government (not just the taxpayers) and I would think donkey-types would respect the result of an election even if they don’t think the result is good.
Yeah, I actually agree with you on Prop 400. This just goes to show you that there are ignorant voters out there of every political background. Although, I will say, it will force the City Council to show us what they truly value as priorities, and what they feel we can live without for a year (or worse, that they chose to operate in a deficit and really put this city in the crapper).
You realize that the election is not remotely over, don’t you?
Nina still has a very slight chance of winning, and Karin has an even better chance of still losing.
444 votes isn’t that much with thousands of votes still outstanding, a good portion of them from the east side.
Should be fun.
Trent