Saint Paul Held A Primary Election—Few Participated!
On Tuesday I was the 127th person in my precinct to cast a
I was handed my ballot and a totally unnecessary privacy sleeve (there was no one else there to vote), and within a few seconds, I had made my choice and deposited that choice in the ballot box.
On Wednesday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported the results:
Ward 2, 16 of 16 precincts:
Dave Thune (incumbent), 924 votes, 50%
Bill Hosko, 516 votes, 28%
Fran Zamb, 315 votes, 17%
Sharon Anderson, 59 votes, 3%
Bill Dahn, 37 votes, 2%
Total: 1851 votes
There were 5,584 votes cast city-wide, in Ward 2, there were 1,851 votes cast, fully 33.1% of the total for the entire city! The main issue appears to be the now-statewide restaurant & bar smoking ban—Dave Thune having spearheaded the effort to enact a city ordinance banning workplace smoking.
The bar owners supported Fran Zamb in their effort to “pay back” Mr. Thune for his efforts—and because the bar owners and their supporters failed to turn out for the primary election, their chosen candidate was thwarted in her effort to run in the November 8 general election.
As an unabashed supporter of Mr. Thune, I am delighted by the results, and look forward to a spirited campaign prior to the general election. I have opinions and I vote—do you?
Well ain’t that like all the elections…the people that want to make difference are never at the polls!
Bob,
Not exactly. The ones the complain the most, seem to vote the least. People who WANT to make a difference vote! Our ward is known for its high voter turnout–normally. And still pathetic as it was, it WAS the highest in the city.
Boomer
OK – thanks for throwing me off (I’m watching my spelling) – I was thinking fiction, but realized it was not. I agree with you Jack, the ones that complain don’t vote – the silent ones are the ones there every time! I’m glad you are happy with the results. Smoking in restaurants was banned here a long time ago.
Boomer,
Dave’s the man! He has the principles & the courage to act.
Ines: Sometimes it’s my turn to post. Sorry if we threw you off a bit, but I had a mini-rant to get off my chest. I take my voting very seriously, I make it my business to know what is going on in this city I love, and I vote at every opportunity to do so.
I enjoy the Danger Bay series, and you may expect it to return tomorrow.
Carl: I hope you’ll be there for coffee tomorrow.
When I was more involved in politics and actually went as a rep to the district convention, it amazed me how few people were involved in the voting process. A small contingent of people can make some huge changes because of the complacency of the majority. In like manner, I cannot understand a city that has so many Democrats with no Republican challengers!
Bonnie: Both cities, St. Paul AND Minneapolis, seem to have difficulty in enticing Republicans to run as Republicans. Keep in mind, the city offices are “nonpartisan,” and the primary election is an open primary so party affiliation need not be declared.
Neat Site: Sharon is a Republican, even ran for President of US to challenge Electoral College, gearing up for the next election .
Sharon: Welcome to Our Saint Paul! Our policy is to let everyone speak, but we do not allow links, known in the blogging community as “Comment Spam.” I deleted your links only, and retained the rest of your comment. Politicians of every viewpoint are welcome here, and we welcome differing views. Please feel free to express your opinions here, they are welcome. Thanks so much for stopping by.
To our Gentle Readers: Sharon Anderson was recently a candidate for St. Paul City Council, and she has run for other offices in the past. While we may not agree with Sharon’s point of view, we are delighted she stopped by, and are honored by her visit.
Sincerely, Jay