We lost City Hall to the Republicans tonight! :-(

Our two term Democratic mayor lost to an inexperienced Republican, this after having a big lead in the polls this summer. Our Democratic majority in the city council seems to be lost as well

A combination of factors played a role:

1. A low voter turnout.

2. Complacency by Democratic machinery because of favorable polling.

3. And the one thing we must all watch out for: the unexpected event or issue.

In this case, the unexpected issue was a sudden increase in property tax valuation that had everyone screaming. Our mayor did not respond fast enough, even though he has nothing to do about property taxes, and our Republican governor was more than happy to refuse to call a special session of legislature to fix the problem (better to blame Democratic incumbents than to work for a solution).

The news is the same across Indiana:

Ballard leading Indy mayor race

Results so far are showing Republican candidate for mayor Greg Ballard building a lead over incumbent Bart Peterson.

Republicans appear to be gaining the upper hand in several of the 29 City-County Council races, too.

Ballard wins it would be the biggest upset in Indianapolis Politics since 1967.

That's the year an upstart IPS school board member defeated Democratic incumbent John J. Barton by 9,000 votes. Richard Lugar became the first Republican mayor of the city in 20 years, and ushered in a 32-year era of Republican rule in Marion County.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/LOCAL190501/311060005

Greenfield ousts 2-term Democratic mayor

GREENFIELD, Ind. – This Hancock County city’s Democratic mayor will be replaced with a Republican.

Slightly more than 260 votes brought a win for business Brad DeReamer. Rodney Fleming, who sought a third four-year term, received 1,810 votes compared to DeReamer’s 2,074.

Fleming had said two police officers who recently filed lawsuits against the city, the police department and the police chief likely filed them with the hope of influencing the mayoral election.

Former police Lt. Brian Bray filed a federal lawsuit in August against Police Chief Clarke Mercer and the Greenfield Police Department, accusing Mercer of defaming him and causing him emotional distress. The lawsuit comes 18 months after Bray resigned from the department.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/LOCAL190501/71106049

Paul Ricketts elected Lawrence mayor

Lawrence Mayor Deborah Cantwell was disappointed early Tuesday, as Paul Ricketts, her Republican challenger, declared victory.

“It is a victory for us tonight. It is a victory for Lawrence,” said Ricketts, who added that, as mayor, he intends to try and unify the city, which is known for nasty political battles. “We will tap the vast knowledge and resources of the citizens of Lawrence to move the agenda forward for the betterment of the city.”

Ricketts, the former Lawrence Township assessor declared victory shortly before 9 p.m.

With 32 of 34 precincts counted, Ricketts led with 3,522 to Democrat Cantwell's 2,954.

Cantwell was Lawrence's first woman and Democratic Party mayor. In her first term in office, Cantwell had not conceded by the time Ricketts declared victory.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/LOCAL190501/71106050

it's corrupt Rethug mayor. Surprising result because Oxford and the rest of the valley are very conservative. I don't live in Oxford, just looking through the results.

Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers Dem -- 1,776

August Palmer R (dirty pig) -- 1,669

Richard O'Doy PEC -- 158

Aren't you somewhere near Shelton?

Trumbull borders Shelton :puke: but Fairfield does not. Shelton is part of the valley and votes accordingly. Most likely, the extremely corrupt Don Mark Lauretti (R) will win another term.

I have a sister who lives there. I just couldn't quite place Oxford. I grew up in New Canaan.

double digit margins!

:cheers:

You are probably as elated as I was 8 years ago when we finally put a Democrat as mayor.

I will miss Bart Peterson!

is strongly democratic and I wouldn't call them conservative. Where did you find the Oxford results? I am still waiting on Ansonia, Derby and Shelton.

http://connpolitics.com/vote2007/index.php?race_id=81&race_name=Shelton%20-%20Mayor&pre_total=6&pre_report=0&pct_pre_report=0&updated=2007-11-06%2023:24:10

:puke:

That is one town I advise all of us to stay out of!

:bounce:

Derby, Shelton, Seymour went red. :mad:

Maybe Bart can run against Lord Shorty now.

who is not my man, nor my bitch (insider Hoosier joke, for those DUers that are not from here).

was defeated. I had high hopes of his running for Senate or Governor of Indiana.

So sorry to hear the bad news, IG.

I hate these off-year elections which plays to the advantage of the GOP.

Your post and the three points you made are a lesson for us all.

Complacency coupled with low turnout killed us. This is a warning about nominating a candidate for President that will not inspire the voters.

Democrats had better do everything they can to push turnout and nix voter fraud
(and that means Congress, too).

As in 2004, we are becoming too complacent by the polls showing the GOP Presidential candidates trailing ours. Never underestimate the GOP's ability to suppress voters, and alter vote results.

What if Bush attacks Iran on the pretext he was protecting US troops in Iraq, and Hillary gives her support? How will that split the Democratic coalition?

This asinine state is so frigging Republican it is unbelievable. I swear, 50% of Bush's 28% must live here.

I mean, just to put things in perspective, up in NE Indiana where I live, many of the local Democrats, INCLUDING THE FRIGGING PEOPLE UP HERE WHO RUN THE FRIGGING LOCAL PARTY, refer to themselves as "The Steuben County Democrat Party".

It was even in the frigging TAGLINE in a frigging local radio commercial for the local frigging Democratic candidates for chrissake!

With this kind of thinking, where even the "good guys" are too frigging stupid to not use the Republicans' petty, schoolyard insult in referring to their own party, it is no wonder we gave the world frigging Dan "Potatoe" Quayle.

Man, I have to roll down the window and puke whenever I drive south of Fort Wayne and see that frigging sign pointing people to Huntington.

Evil Kumquat

PS. Sorry if I sound really cheesed off here, and sorry if any Hoosiers read this and take insult, but it is late, and I get so incredibly angry and discouraged because, even in those races the Democrats won, it was by a too-narrow margin.

HOW IN THE HELL DID THE GOP RECOVER AFTER NIXON? In a decent, logical and sane world, having the head of your party resign to avoid impeachment should have spelled your party's deathknell, and anyone in the party with any shred of decency or honor should have turned Democrat or slinked off to start their own party.

ATTENTION REDNECKS: You are POOR and STUPID because social programs that would have benefited you have been gradually eroded by Republicans and DINO's with their teeth on the corporations' tits. Quit voting against your own self-interests solely because the people you like promise to keep "them faggits" from marryin'!

That's just unbelievable! What do they do for news, watch Fox?

Some of the most progressive folks I know are Hoosiers, and many of them are. or were, steelworkers in Lake County.

Indiana may be a red state, but as in Iowa, we do have lots of blue patches.

Every political ad where I live goes like this:

Republican? It is plastered with elephants, flags and a big ol' REPUBLICAN label on it.

Democrat? NO party affiliation mentioned at all, even on our local Mayor's re-election posters and that post has been held by a Democrat for almost twenty years (which never fails to amaze me- almost every other city post in the entire county is GOP).

I mean, we got an old bastard who constantly writes Letters to the Editor bashing liberals and never gets contradicted (he even wrote a semi-regular fishing column for the paper), all the paper's political cartoons are bought from the Quayle family's Indianapolis newspaper and less than twenty miles away we got a guy who posts a KKK sign proudly on his property.

Nope. If I want to see blue where I live, I have to go to Wal*Mart and find some kids busting open Ty-D-Bol bottles looking for a cheap high since their parents are too busy going to church five times a week to find a way to make abortions illegal and keep the Mexicans out of the area.

Evil Kumquat