Nov. 5, 2008, TDMN, Page 1B (jump)

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The Dallas Morning News dallasnews.com W Thursday, November 6, 2008 13BELECTIONS ’08
Addison voters may not
know until next week the fate
of the $58 million city bond
proposal that was on Tues-
day’s ballot.
DallasCountyelectionsof-
ficials reported Wednesday
that the proposition failed by
three votes, out of more than
4,300 ballots cast.
But Dallas County Elec-
tions Administrator Bruce
Sherbet said there may be
some provisional ballots, or
military mail ballots, still to
be counted, and the final tally
won’t go out until late Mon-
day or early Tuesday.
“I went to bed last night
thinking we had won it and
woke up this morning to find
we hadn’t,” said Jim Duffy of
Addison Citizens Supporting
Art, Culture & Entertain-
ment, a political action com-
mittee supporting the bond
referendum.
Late Tuesday night, online
election results showed the
measure passing by two
votes.
But Mr. Sherbet said some
mail-in ballots were then tal-
lied, adding 13 more votes
and giving the opposition the
edge.
Mr. Duffy said the bond
supporters will wait until
Monday to decide whether to
ask for a recount.
“This day and age with
electronic ballots, recounts
probably don’t swing votes as
much as they used to when
everything was on paper,” Mr.
Duffy said.
The state does not provide
for automatic recounts in
close elections. And those
wishing for a recount would
have to ask for it within two
days after the city canvasses
the votes. The city had not set
the day for canvassing the
votes as of Wednesday after-
noon.
The measure’s opponents
were optimistic their win
would hold.
Bill Signs, founder of Ad-
dison Citizens for Responsi-
ble Government, said the
group had a handful of peo-
ple going up against a large
group with more money.
“It was a David and Goli-
ath thing,” he said.
The bond proposal calls
for $33 million for a new,
permanent home for the Cav-
anaugh Flight Museum; $16
million for a new expanded
home for the WaterTower
Theatre, $6 million for a new
parking garage; and other
improvements to the arts and
entertainment district.
The museum includes air-
craft from World War I and
all the wars since. It occupies
about 50,000 square feet at
the Addison Municipal Air-
port. The nonprofit agency
had planned to raise about
$25 million to contribute to
the project, which would
have provided about
200,000 square feet and al-
lowed officials to move nearly
a dozen aircraft out of storage
and put them on display.
Plans also called for adding
high-tech interactive dis-
plays.
The museum draws about
25,000 visitors a year, execu-
tive director Doug Jeanes
said.
Mr. Jeanes hopes the mu-
seum will remain in Addison,
but if the bond package fails,
officials would have to con-
sider all options.
“We’re just kind of wait-
ing,” he said. “We still want to
build. We still want to do
something. … We’re just
packed in tight and don’t
have a lot of room for exhibits
and some of the memorabil-
ia.”
WaterTower Theatre,
started in 1996, has won sev-
eral dozen awards and has
averaged a 90 percent sellout
rate over six years. Support-
ers said the theater programs
drew 96,000 patrons last
year.
The nonprofit group rents
performance space at the Ad-
dison Theatre Center.
Producing artistic director
Terry Martin said the expan-
sion idea came from the city.
“We are actually a pretty
passive participant in this
whole project,” he said. “We
were very flattered they de-
cided they were going to put
this forth to the citizens of
Addison.”
Arts bond’s fate a mystery
ADDISON
It passed by 2 votes,
then failed by 3; final
tally likely next week
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL
Staff Writer
ssandoval@dallasnews.com
Dan Dodd has a message
for Collin County Democrats:
Be patient.
Mr. Dodd, the county’s
party chairman, said Demo-
crats shouldn’t be discour-
aged that their two county
candidates suffered lopsided
losses Tuesday.
While Democrats rule in
DallasCounty,theycan’twina
single seat in conservative
Collin County. Even Barack
Obama’s landmark presiden-
tial win didn’t provide a
strong enough wave to push
county Democrats to victory.
“This is a building — it’s
one brick at a time,” Mr. Dodd
said.
Precinct 3 Commissioner
Joe Jaynes received almost 70
percent of the vote in defeat-
ing Democratic challenger
Victor Manuel. In Precinct 4,
Commissioner Kathy Ward
garnered 61 percent of the
vote in downing her Demo-
cratic opponent, Jean Power.
Ms. Power fared no better
than Democratic commis-
sioner candidate Bill Baum-
bach did two years ago in los-
ing to Jerry Hoagland.
“It just shows Collin Coun-
ty has a lot of Republican vot-
ers,” said Ms. Power, a first-
time candidate. “I knew it
would be an uphill battle.”
A Democrat hasn’t held a
Collin County seat in more
than two decades. But Mr.
Obama’s campaign invigorat-
ed local Democrats and could
persuade more to seek county
office, Mr. Dodd said.
Mr. Dodd believes many
Collin County residents con-
tinue to vote straight Republi-
can because so few local Dem-
ocrats run.
“We don’t have a full ballot
yet,” Mr. Dodd said.
His counterpart, Collin
County Republican Party
ChairmanFredMoses,saidhe
sees signs of a Democratic re-
vival. Democrats are now
fielding candidates for county
office, whereas they did not
for many years.
“I think they put us on no-
tice we’ve got to be more vigi-
lant,” Mr. Moses said.
County Judge Keith Self,
who heads Commissioners
Court, warned Republicans
last month that Ms. Power
posed a formidable challenge
to Ms. Ward.
“We will continue to sup-
port other Republican candi-
dates’ campaign efforts,” Mr.
Selfwroteonhisblog.“Butthe
bulk of our resources will be
made available to Kathy Ward
as she fights off a concerted
Democrat effort in her pre-
cinct.”
Ms. Ward was appointed
to office in July after the death
of longtime commissioner
Jack Hatchell. She cam-
paigned vigorously against
Ms. Power to serve the final
two years of Mr. Hatchell’s
term.
“I was nervous,” said Ms.
Ward, former chairwoman of
the county Republican Party.
Still, she said she believes
local Republicans can retain
power against a resurgent
Democratic Party by appeal-
ingtoabroadspectrumofvot-
ers.
“There were a number of
Democrats who were sup-
porting me,” Ms. Ward said. “I
had independents.”
Mr. Jaynes, who has held
office since 1996, had never
faced a Democratic opponent.
But he said Collin County Re-
publicans should no longer
expect to run unopposed.
“I think in the long run,
that could be a healthy thing
for the party,” Mr. Jaynes said.
“It gives people a choice. Usu-
ally in a one-party county, you
fight among yourselves.”
Democrat leader: Defeats part of building party
COLLIN COUNTY
By ED HOUSEWRIGHT
Staff Writer
ehousewright@dallasnews.com
said. “In the last six months, we
pretty well decided this was a
toss-up district.”
The results backed up Mr.
Maxwell’s new thinking as Ms.
Davis won the seat by 7,000
votes on Tuesday.
Ms. Davis said she was con-
vinced from the beginning that
a Democrat had a shot at this
district because of demograph-
ic shifts and the incumbent’s
low name recognition.
“People were hungry for an
ear for their concerns and
someone that would carry
those concerns to Austin,” Ms.
Davis said.
Mr. Brimer’s campaign staff
did not return phone calls
Wednesday for comment. The
race earned statewide atten-
tion for its big spending and
Mr. Brimer’s efforts to have his
opponent declared ineligible.
Stephanie Klick, Tarrant
County GOP chairwoman, said
she hadn’t had time to review
the precinct-by-precinct num-
bers. She said she wasn’t sure
yet whether she would call
state Senate District 10 a Dem-
ocraticdistrictoronethat’sjust
evenly split.
“That district, if you look at
voting history, has not been as
strongly Republican as some of
the other Senate districts in the
county,”shesaid.“Evenwhenit
was drawn, that was the case.”
Mr. Maxwell said Tarrant
County has been a tough place
forDemocratsforawhile.They
dominated a handful of races
but didn’t have a shot at a large
majority of the political seats.
There are still no Democrats
elected to countywide posts,
and many Democrats who ran
gave only token opposition.
But the Democrats have
graduallypickedoffseveralleg-
islative seats in what had previ-
ously been Republican areas of
the county.
“It’s not a shotgun approach
anymore,” Mr. Maxwell said
about targeting districts. “It’s a
surgical incision approach.”
Democrats picked up an-
other seat Tuesday when Chris
Turner defeated GOP incum-
bent Bill Zedler in state House
District96.Theparty,however,
lost a seat when Republican
Mark M. Shelton unseated in-
cumbent Democrat Dan Bar-
rett, who won state House Dis-
trict 97 last year in a special
election.
Mr. Maxwell said that
shows that District 97 is still a
GOP-dominated area and that
Mr. Barrett probably benefited
from a low turnout last year.
Despite struggling in most
county races, the Democrats
have added three legislative
seats to their totals in as many
years.
Jim Riddlesperger, a politi-
cal science professor at Texas
Christian University, said that
despite the reversals in those
three legislative seats this year,
there wasn’t a wholesale
change in the county.
“Most of the races were sta-
tus quo,” he said.
Dr. Riddlesperger said a
gradualmovebyTarrantCoun-
tytowardtheDemocraticparty
is possible but not inevitable.
Ms. Klick said this year’s
election numbers might not be
representative of what Demo-
crats will see at the polls in the
future.
“This was definitely the
high-water mark for them,”
Ms. Klick said. “In two years,
it’s doubtful that they’re going
to have a historic election with
such overwhelming turnout.”
Mr. Maxwell said that hav-
ing President-elect Barack
Obama in the White House
will continue to energize Tar-
rant County Democrats. But he
said he doesn’t expect an im-
mediate change in the county’s
voting habits like the Republi-
can-to-Democratic shift in
Dallas County.
Ms. Davis said there’s going
to be pressure on the new wave
of Tarrant County Democrats,
including her, Mr. Turner and
state Rep. Paula Hightower
Pierson, who won in 2006 and
was re-elected Tuesday. Ms.
Davis said they have to go to
Austin, work in a nonpartisan
way and get results.
“If we return their [voters’]
trust by doing that, it means a
better opportunity for Demo-
cratic candidates who would
run in other positions,” Ms.
Davis said.
Tarrant dotted
by areas of blue
Continued from Page 1B
ELLIS COUNTY
Sheriff
Precincts reporting: 100%
√ Johnny Brown, R 39,265 93%
Write-in 2,800 7%
Tax Assessor-Collector
Precincts reporting: 100%
√ John W. Bridges, R* 37,692 82%
Linda Gallegos, L 8,065 18%
County Treasurer
Precincts reporting: 100%
√ Judy Cook Burden, R* 36,214 81%
Cathy Kennedy, L 8,630 19%
County Commissioner, Precinct 1
Precincts reporting: 100%
√ Dennis Robinson, R * 5,553 57%
Broderick Sargent, D 4,175 43%
County Commissioner, Precinct 3
Precincts reporting: 100%
√ Heath Sims, R * 11,617 77%
James Schico, D 3,373 23%
WAXAHACHIE
Proposition No. 1
Precincts reporting: 100%
Legalize the sale of beer and wine for off-
premise consumption
√ For 4,874 51%
Against 4,691 49%
Proposition No. 2
Precincts reporting: 100%
Legalize the sale of mixed beverages in
restaurants by food and beverage certifi-
cate holders
√ For 5,688 60%
Against 3,734 40%
of doing the whole process
all over again,” said Hector
Nieto, a spokesman for the
Texas Democratic Party.
A state Republican Party
spokesman did not return
phone calls seeking com-
ment.
Jonathan Neerman,
chairman of the Dallas
County Republican Party,
said he expects “the lawyers
will start showing up pretty
quickly, but we’ll just see
what happens.”
The outcome of the race
has implications for the fu-
ture of House Speaker Tom
Craddick, R-Midland, and
the upcoming 2009 legisla-
tive session.
Still, neither Mr. Roma-
no nor Ms. Harper-Brown
publicly voiced on Wednes-
day how they plan to move
forward.
Mr. Romano said his
main concern is to ensure
that every vote is counted.
“I’m not in a position to
say much or do much,” he
said. “Things are going ab-
solutely crazy. I want to get
out of here and go deer
hunting.”
Ms. Harper-Brown
could not be reached for
comment.
Dallas County Elections
Administrator Bruce Sher-
bet said it will probably be
Monday before the provi-
sional and overseas votes
are counted. His office will
begin reviewing provisional
ballots before they are
turned over to a board made
up of Democrats and Re-
publicans to determine
their validity. The validity is
decided before the ballots
are unsealed, so even those
deciding whether to count
the votes don’t know which
candidate they favor.
Mr. Sherbet said races
with such a high turnout
rarely run so tight that the
final number of accepted
provisional ballots could
swing the outcome.
Dallas County Demo-
cratic Party Chairman Dar-
lene Ewing said that decid-
ing whether to request a
recount — and which candi-
date might do so — will
probably depend on how
the accepted provisional
ballots shake out.
“There’s a lot still up in
the air,” she said. “It could
go on for a couple of weeks.
If there’s any challenges or
lawsuits, it could go on fur-
ther.”
According to results
from Tuesday’s race, Ms.
Harper-Brown received
19,830 votes compared
with Mr. Romano’s 19,801.
Ms. Harper-Brown initially
had a 25-vote lead, but Mr.
Sherbet said that during an
internal accuracy check,
some votes were found to
have been counted twice. Af-
ter those double-counted
votes were fixed, Ms. Harper-
Brown’s edge rose to 29
votes.
Ms. Harper-Brown first
won the House 105 seat in
2002 and has been the only
person to hold it since Irving
leaders successfully lobbied
for a seat wholly within city
boundaries as part of a 2001
redistricting process.
Mr. Romano unsuccess-
fully challenged her as an in-
dependent in 2002 and as a
Democrat in 2006. The two
are also former Irving City
Council colleagues.
Ms. Harper-Brown raised
more than $390,000 this
year compared with Mr. Ro-
mano’s $16,000. And unlike
Mr. Romano, the incumbent
did not face opposition dur-
ing the March primaries.
Stars Over Texas, a politi-
cal action committee whose
largest contributor is Mr.
Craddick, gave $10,000 to
Ms. Harper-Brown’s cam-
paign last week. The commit-
tee gave her a combined
$17,500 in the final month of
her campaign.
State and local party lead-
ers said the outcome of the
race will be closely watched
statewide.
“Irving is now the epicen-
ter for state politics,” Mr.
Neerman said. “They had the
Dallas Cowboys for so long; I
guess now they get this.”
Irving still counting
provisional ballots
Continued from Page 1B
ROWLETT
Proposition No. 1
Precincts reporting: 100%
Amend the charter to extend the
term limits of the mayor and coun-
cil members from two terms to
three terms, to impose a six-con-
secutive term limit on service as
mayor and council member, to al-
low additional service following a
break in service of at least one
year and to clarify the definition of
“term.”
For 8,953 44%
√Against 11,295 56%
Proposition No. 2
Precincts reporting: 100%
Amend the charter to remove the
requirement that runoff elections
be held within 30 days after the
canvassing of votes and to require
that runoff elections be held in ac-
cordance with the state law.
√For 14,168 71%
Against 5,770 29%
Proposition No. 3
Precincts reporting: 100%
Amend the charter to change the
compensation of the mayor and
council members from a monthly
to a per meeting basis and to re-
move the annual limit, to be effec-
tive on and after June 1, 2011.
For 8,975 46%
√Against 10,700 54%
Proposition No. 4
Precincts reporting: 100%
Amend the charter to require un-
edited broadcasts of the meetings
of the City Council.
√For 17,606 89%
Against 2,239 11%
Proposition No. 5
Precincts reporting: 100%
Amend the charter to provide for
the establishment of ethical re-
quirements for the mayor and
members of the City Council.
√For 18,123 91%
Against 1,768 9%
Proposition No. 6
Precincts reporting: 100%
Amend the charter to require an
affirmative vote of at least 80 per-
cent of the members of the council
to issue bonds and other evidence
of indebtedness.
√For 17,341 88%
Against 2,366 12%
Proposition No. 7
Precincts reporting: 100%
Amend the charter to remove from
the referendum provisions ordi-
nances authorizing the issuance of
bonds and other evidence of in-
debtedness and to require the city
attorney’s approval as to legal
form of referendum petitions.
√For 13,701 72%
Against 5,394 28%
Rockwall County residents
have approved a $100 million
plan to improve 35 miles of the
county’s most congested roads.
County officials had wor-
ried that the bond package on
Tuesday’s ballot would suffer
from voter backlash over the
faltering economy and com-
missioners’ approval of a $30
million courthouse similar to
one that voters twice rejected.
But it passed easily, earning
support from 68 percent of
voters.
Commissioners have said
that in a “worst-case scenario,”
the bonds might increase taxes
by $4.75 a month for the own-
er of a $190,000 home.
The bonds, to be issued
over 10 to 15 years, would pay
for environmental studies,
right-of-way acquisition and
partial construction costs for
projects on State Highways 66
and 276, FM740 and FM549.
ROCKWALL COUNTY
Voters pass $100 million
in bonds to improve roads
By ELIZABETH LANGTON
Staff Writer
elangton@dallasnews.com