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April 13, 2005
Post-Election Liveblogging: What a Difference a Vote Makes
Thanks for joining us for yesterday's democratic festivities. It was a wild night. If you had told me 24 hours ago that a 30-percent turnout would give Ron Littlefield a win by more than 2,000 votes, I would have suggested that you see a good shrink.
But here's the catch: Littlefield's campaign staff would have told you the same thing. In fact, one staffer told me at 6 p.m. yesterday that the election would be decided by less than 100 votes. To a person, the Littlefield team was stunned by how decisively they won. (A few late arrivals to the Hughes Supply Building said they saw it coming, but these stragglers smelled more than a little of gin.)
I think the shock restrained the emotions of the night. The gloating at the Littlefield headquarters was subdued, and the griping at the Coulter party was nearly whispered. If the results had followed Sunday's Times Free Press predictions (and how is the paper going to explain that poll? It didn't just pick the wrong horse -- it was 12 points off!) then I don't think there would have been the same calm. People would have known what to do. But as fate would have it, Littlefield's team was mostly gracious in victory, and the Coulter supporters simply went home. (As one wag noted, "They probably realized, 'Oh, yeah. We still have money,' and left.") There was a low moment when a news reporter had his laptop computer stolen from the Littlefield headquarters, but that was the only significant blemish on the evening.
Now come the questions, chief among them whether Littlefield will honor his Coalition of the Disenfranchised by going on a RiverCity hunt, trying to deconstruct the system that has redesigned the downtown. He's off on a 24-hour vacation today, but not before declaring that he would restrict the "subjective" asthetic decisions of the Urban Design Studio and seek "objective" government regulations for building projects. This is barely short of a call for Stroud Watson to get the hell out of town.
There are other questions (is Ron really looking to recreate a manufacturing city? how will he work with the city leaders he's accused of rampant corruption?) but one has been immediately answered: Dan Johnson is staying on the team.
| By mesh | 02:40 PM
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