Yes, it's Election Day in the race for Iowa City School Board and it's a nine candidate barnbuster and I honestly couldn't tell you what I think is going to happen- only that turnout is far outstripping the last School Board election and that there's an awful lot at stake this time around.
I sort of split my vote. I went with Phil Hemingway and Jason T. Lewis as being my choices for a fresh perspective on the School Board. Hemingway seems to have (along with Geerdes and Barron) won the endorsement of the Save Hoover people, which is sure to bring him plenty of votes on the East Side of town- though how deep his support is elsewhere, I don't know. He's also refused to run a campaign and hasn't taken a cent in campaign money so mad props for that.
Jason T. Lewis was a late pick- mainly on the strength of this column in the Gazette that The Quiet Man was equally as impressed with.
My final vote went to Karla Cook. As a retired teacher from the district, I think it's valuable to have her voice on the board so she can add the perspective of the people in the trenches, so to speak- plus, she was one of the few math teachers that managed to get a lick of algebra to stick in my head, so I can testify that when she was teaching, she was damn good at it.
I wasn't actually aware that there were two bond issues on the ballot as well, so I scanned 'em quickly and voted YES on both. I think the School District has made a good start with their expansion plans and I'd like see Hoover saved and the plans for the new elementary schools and a new high school carried forward as we go. If we're not going to save Hoover, it's imperative that the community know why. If you're going to tear it down for parking space, that should be the walking, talking, living, breathing definition of unacceptable. (I also think the new joint venture STEM Center with Kirkwood and the University being planned for out at Oakdale is brilliant and should go through as well.)
Either way, it's game on for the School District.
UPDATED- 7:06 PM: With a litle under an hour before polls closed, this came across my Twitter feed:
5608 votes have been casted as of 6pm. The record number is 5812 votes. That was in 1995.Just a reminder, if you're in line at 8PM, you can still vote! This could be a long night.
— The Little Hawk (@thelittlehawk) September">https://twitter.com/thelittlehawk/statuses/377579344488833024">September 10, 2013
UPDATED- 8:51 PM: Well, looks like unofficial results are in and it's Dorau, Kirshling and Lynch. Who the heck is Lynch? I'm not really sure-- I don't even think I look that far down on the ballot. Looks like both ballot measures are going to pass as well.
So if the results hold, I struck out on Lewis, Hemingway and Cook... and it looks as though the Save Hoover folks had a bad night as well: Geerdes, Hemingway and Barron all went down. I'll reiterate again: if we're going to do something as back asswards sounding as closing down a school to build two new ones, people should know what we're going to use the space for. If the Board doesn't have a plan, they should get one and sell it to the community because people should know what we're closing schools for.
Looking at the vote tallies over here though, this might not be 100% over yet: the Gazette has a ridiculous three vote margin separating Hemingway and Lynch. Stay tuned, I guess.
UPDATED- 9:21 PM: So much for a close race, they've officially called it for Kirshling, Dorau and Lynch. Hemingway on the outside looking in, again.
UPDATED- 10:21 PM: Final thought- and a random one at that: Props to The Little Hawk for being all over Twitter on this tonight. Think they've been the most informative election coverage of the night so far. (And if you Tweet, they're @thelittlehawk)
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