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Show Thursday, November 8, 2007 Sanpete Messenger/Gunnison Valley Edition The winners ... Gunnison Council Centerfield Council Larry Jensen 378 votes Mardi Jensen 141 votes Keith Garff 135 votes Grant Mogle 136 votes Mayfield Mayor/Council No picture Jonny Anderson 2-Year 94 votes No picture John Christensen Mayor 92 votes Kenyon Jensen 2-Year 100 votes Terry Jensen 4-Year 117 votes Paul Greener 375 votes Steve Buchanan 369 votes The three candidates ran unopposed. Axtell Community 2-Year Council Glen Goff got 41 votes (out of 103), with write-in votes totaling 62. There are two positions open, so final winners will not be known until the election results canvass. 4-Year Council The top three vote-getters are Wade Brackett, who received 48 votes, Tyler Blackburn, who received 39 votes, and Travis Blackburn, who received 34 votes. Fayette Council Kimberly Mellor got 54 votes, and Donald Kitchell got 21 votes, with 69 votes as write-ins. This race will not be determined until the results are canvassed, Nov. 20. Bond (Continued from A1) ently also spurred a higher voter turnout than what otherwise might have been in a municipal election. In a completely uncontested municipal election in 2005, the city’s voter turnout was only 15 percent. This year’s municipal election was also completely uncontested in Gunnison, yet voter turnout was about 50 percent. The difference was the two ballot measures that appeared this year. Countywide, the bond issue won but by only six votes, a margin that could easily be overturned by the time a final canvass of the election is conducted on Nov. 20. According to the Sanpete County Clerk’s office, which oversees elections in the county, there were 42 absentee ballots that had not been returned as of Tuesday. Those ballots can still be counted in the final canvass of the election on Nov. 20 as long as they get to the county clerk’s office by that date and were postmarked no later than Monday, Nov. 5. Similarly, about 200 provi- sional ballots remain to be verified that could also be counted as part of the final canvass. Provisional ballots are ballots filled out by people whose names were not in the poll books in the places where they voted. Those ballots must be validated by the clerk’s office before they can be counted. With over 200 absentee or provisional ballots remaining to be verified, the bond election is still up in the air, and that result took some by surprise. “I had a speech prepared for if we won by a landslide, or if we lost by a landslide, but I don’t know now,” said Sanpete County Commissioner Claudia Jarrett after results were in. “The vote obviously confirms the importance of the court facility on both sides of the issue.” In the couple of weeks prior to the election, there has been some sentiment of “I can’t wait until this is over,” expressed by many about what has become perhaps the most contentious debate in recent Sanpete history. The debate got so heated that something generally foreign to Sanpete became a significant part of the issue—negative campaigning and character attacks. Those involved in the debate have become somewhat tired of the constant intense battling over the issue, and those on the sidelines of the issue have become sick of hearing about it. For people with vested interests in whether the bond issue flies or fails, like county leaders and the leaders of those who oppose them, there’s some cruel irony in the prospect of waiting another two weeks to find out the final result after the official canvass. But those people on the sidelines will, hopefully, get a reprieve from hearing the two sides bickering, at least for a couple weeks. In the meantime, opponents to the bond will be waiting to see what the final outcome is before deciding whether to do anything in response to the vote, says Kaye Crane, a leader in the Concerned Citizens of Sanpete County, a citizens group that campaigned against the bond. “I called the clerk’s office this morning, and this decision will not be made until the 20th of November,” she said the morning after the election. Asked what the group would do if the bond prevailed but only by a thin margin, Crane said, “We want to wait to see what the official tally is . . . and discuss possibilities with our supporters.” Likewise, Commissioner Jarrett said, “I think the commissioners are as anxious to know the final result as the citizens of the county. We’ll wait and see.” Jarrett was asked what the commissioners would do if the vote remains more-or-less even—would the closeness of the vote deter them from the project, even if the bond passes? “As important and committed as we are to the project and because we really do believe this is an important building for the county, I think that if it is even a small margin, majority rules and we would want to move forward,” Jarrett said. “I think we’ve made commitments to the people who did vote for it, even if it’s a small majority.” Voucher referendum goes down to defeat By Suzanne Dean Publisher MANTI—Sanpete County joined all the 28 other counties in the state in voting down vouchers for private schools Tuesday. In fact, Sanpete rejected the idea by a slightly larger margin than the state as a whole. The county tally was 3,961 “against” to 1,781 “for” enactment of HB148, the bill passed by the Utah Legislature that would have awarded vouchers ranging from $500-$3,000 per child to parents for private school tuition. That translated to a 69 to 31 percent margin. Statewide, with 97 percent of precincts reporting, the vote was 303,251 against and 184,374 in favor, a 62 to 38 percent margin. Local teachers put up signs around the county and contacted their friends and neighbors by telephone and email. “We’re delighted with the result,” said Amber Hill, a teacher at North Sanpete Middle School and president of the North Sanpete Education Association. “The people of Utah let the Legislature know, through the democratic process, what they be- lieve.” Regarding the Sanpete County margin, Hill said, “We appreciate the support and the voice this gives for public education in Sanpete.” Kim Pickett of Gunnison, a member of the South Sanpete School Board who supported vouchers, said he thought the vote would be a little closer. He believes many voters were confused about what H.B. 148 said and, because they didn’t understand the measure, voted against it. “The people have spoken,” he said. “The UEA did a good Conversations with ... Me and Verl drove by the high school last week and a bunch of the kids were outside and we noticed some of the boys have shaggy hair. Verl said it’s because there ain’t no barber shops in town anymore. He said havin’ a woman cut your hair ain’t the same as havin’ a barber do it, and you can’t blame the kids cause the barbers went out of business. Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials! Kids eat free Family Night: Monday, between 5 & 8 p.m. 61 S. Main, Ephraim 283-FOOD (3663) 2 Kids eight and under eat FREE with each “one” paid adult entree. Large dining room for wedding luncheons/ dinners. Several menu options to fit your budget. Call Don’s Reservation line at 8353663, ask for Gus or Don. Additional parking in back, with a back door, for your convenience job. The PTA did a good job.” But, he added, “I wish we could have at least tried it. I think it would have brought more money to our district.” Led by the Republican caucus, the Utah House of Representatives passed HB148 by one vote in the 2007 session. The Utah Senate passed it by a wider margin, and Gov. Jon Huntsman, who supported vouchers in his campaign for the governorship, signed it. In no time, the Utah Education Association, backed by the National Education Association, along with the PTA, launched a petition drive to call a referendum on the law. By May, they had gathered 124,000 valid signatures, the most ever in a Utah petition drive. Only 92,000 were required to put the measure on the ballot. While the referendum killed HB148 along with HB174, which contained amendments HB148, it technically didn’t stop the legislature from enacting another, perhaps modified, voucher measure. But the Deseret News quoted House Speaker Greg Curtis (RSandy) as saying, “I’ve talked with Governor Huntsman and the other leaders. We are not going to do anything on vouchers next session.” PRINTING The Messenger 35 S. Main • Manti (435) 835-4241 "Image is Everything" PRINTING, COPIES, BUSINESS FORMS, BUS. CARDS AND MORE! SUPERIOR SERVICE QUALITY GUARANTEE A3 |