'Election Results 2009'
Poker champ Lyle Berman stakes claim in Ohio casinos
COLUMBUS — The casino developer and poker champion who had a failed bid for an Ohio slots parlor in 2008 has staked a claim to all four Ohio casinos voters approved Tuesday. Lakes Entertainment Inc. chairman Lyle Berman cut the deal just days before the election Oct. 29, according to a Wednesday filing with the [...]
County looks for places to cut after sales tax is voted down
ELYRIA — A day after Lorain County voters rejected keeping in place a 0.5 percentage point sales tax increase, county officials have begun the job of looking for places to cut. Officials have estimated that $2 million to $4 million will need to be trimmed from the county’s 2010 budget. Those cuts will be on [...]
Issue 10 aftermath: Cuts coming, 15 police officers may be cut, mayor says
ELYRIA — The day after voters overwhelmingly defeated the city’s attempt to raise the income tax rate, Mayor Bill Grace said the Police Department will face the biggest cuts. At this point, the only thing that could possibly save a few jobs will be concessions by the Police Department’s unions, he said. “It will probably [...]
Photo gallery: Election night 2009 in pictures
Election night around Lorain County: Purchase a print.
Complete election results list
List of partisan and non-partisan election candidates AMHERST CITY PRESIDENT OF COUNCIL John S. Dietrich (D) 2,903 100% AUDITOR David C. Kukucka (D) 2,777 100% TREASURER Mark S. Hullman (R) 1,594 42.47% Linda I. Hale (D) 2,159 57.53% COUNCIL AT LARGE (Elect 3) Frank Janik (D) 2,163 25.72% Terry Traster (D) 2,146 25.51% Philip D. [...]
Vermilion voters bring back 3 familiar faces
VERMILION — Vermilion voters returned two incumbents and a former incumbent to office in Tuesday’s nonpartisan City Council races. Joe “Nick” Luby, 58, a former five-term Ward 1 councilman, lost to challenger Scott Sherwood, 42, for the Ward One seat that was vacated by John Gabriel, who opted not to seek re-election. Sherwood, a teacher [...]
Amherst Council race may trigger recount
AMHERST — It appears there will be an automatic recount in the race to fill one of three at-large City Council seats up for grabs in Tuesday’s election. Democrats Frank Janik and Terry Traster were separated by less than half a percent, according to unofficial board of elections numbers Tuesday. Janik, 44, an attorney, tallied [...]
School treasurer to become Amherst city treasurer
AMHERST — A school treasurer will become the city’s next treasurer. Mark Hullman, 57, was elected to the post by a fairly wide margin in Tuesdays’ election. Unofficial results from the county board of elections had Hullman, a Democrat, with 2,130 votes to 1,574 for Republican Linda Hale. Both political newcomers, Hullman will succeed the [...]
Township races roundup: 2 controversial trustees defeated
Two controversial township trustees were defeated in elections Tuesday in Eaton Township and Wellington Township. In Eaton Township, Trustee Douglas Edwards, who cut off public comment at trustee meetings for a period of time, was ousted in a five-way race. Incumbent Linda D. Morrison and township activist Donna J. Hicks were elected. In Wellington Township, [...]
Challenger wins Vermilion mayoral race
VERMILION — The City of Vermilion will have a new face at its helm. Mayor Jean Anderson lost her bid for re-election by about 400 votes to challenger Eileen Bulan. According to unofficial results from the Lorain County Board of Elections, Bulan tallied 1,048 votes to 978 votes for Anderson, or 51.7 percent to 48.3 [...]
Political newcomer Siwierka top vote-getter in Elyria at-large race
ELYRIA — Mary Siwierka proved in May that she is a political force to be reckoned with and on Tuesday she once again showed her popularity in the city by capturing the distinction of being the top vote-getter among the nine candidates seeking at-large Council seats. A Democratic newcomer, Siwierka bested incumbent Democrat Councilmen Mike [...]
Voters reject Issue 4 sales tax hike
SHEFFIELD LAKE — Voters overwhelmingly rejected a 0.5 percent sales tax hike that Lorain County officials insisted was necessary to avoid additional cuts to county services. “It’s a tough economic climate and we knew that,” county Prosecutor Dennis Will, who served as co-chairman of the committee pushing the sales tax, told a crowd of county [...]
2 incumbent Oberlin Council members ousted
OBERLIN — Voters ousted Council President David Sonner and Councilman David Ashenhurst from their positions on Council Tuesday night. The loss of both long-time incumbents, as well as two other representatives who decided not to run again, means City Council will have four new faces beginning next year: Kate Pilacky, 47, associate field director Western [...]
Voter turnout excedes expectations, causes problems at some locations
SHEFFIELD TWP. — Voter turnout Tuesday exceeded Lorain County Board of Elections Director Jose Candelario’s expectations. Candelario had predicted between 35 and 40 percent of the county’s 203,555 registered voters would cast either absentee or show up at the county’s polling places to cast their ballots. The final number of ballots cast was 85,955, he [...]
Cuyahoga County votes to remake county government
CLEVELAND — Ohio’s most populous county is remaking its government to replace an administration targeted by a federal corruption investigation. Voters in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, approved a ballot issue Tuesday that replaces the three county commissioners with an elected county executive and an 11-member council. With 84 percent of precincts reporting unofficial results, [...]
Grafton library levy defeat likely will mean cutting hours
GRAFTON — The Grafton-Midview Public Library probably will have to cut operating hours in the wake of the defeat of a 1.5-mill levy, said library board president Bob Lessing. “We will have to cut almost immediately,” Lessing said. The vote was 3,100 for the levy or 47.96 percent and 3,364 or 52.04 percent against it, [...]
Audio: Elyria Schools levy passes by a landslide
ELYRIA — Voters on Tuesday gave the Elyria Schools a huge measure of support — renewing a 7.96-mill property tax levy by what easily could be labeled a landslide. The renewal, which raises about $8.2 million a year and represents about 12.5 percent of the operating budget, passed 8,341 to 4,955, or 62.73 percent to [...]
Close NR at-large race will change Council makeup
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — The political make-up of North Ridgeville City Council will change following Tuesday’s at-large election, which saw a Democratic incumbent defeated, and a Republican veteran return to city politics. “I don’t want to celebrate too hard as it was so close,” said Republican Roseanne Johnson, who declined to say much until the admittedly [...]
Gay-marriage foes claim victory in Maine
PORTLAND, Maine — Gay-marriage opponents are claiming victory in a closely watched referendum in Maine on a new state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed. The law in question was passed by the Legislature in May but never took effect because of a petition drive by conservatives. With more than 84 percent [...]
Lorain Schools levy fails, leaves district with ‘some very serious challenges’
LORAIN — The 6.43-mill levy for Lorain City Schools was defeated Tuesday leaving school officials disappointed and worried about the future of the district. “These are tough times and certainly the school district has a need,” said Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson. “We are going to be faced with some very serious challenges and I think everybody’s [...]
Colorado ski town legalizes pot
DENVER — The Colorado ski town of Breckenridge has voted overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana. Early returns Tuesday night showed the proposal winning with 72 percent of the vote. The measure would allow adults over 21 to have up to 1 ounce of marijuana. The measure is largely symbolic because pot possession remains a state crime [...]
Bloomberg wins 3rd term as NYC mayor
NEW YORK — Billionaire Michael Bloomberg won a third term as New York mayor Tuesday in a closer-than-expected race against a Democratic challenger who stoked voter resentment over the way Bloomberg changed term-limits law so he could stay in office. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Bloomberg, the richest man in New York and founder [...]
Dave Bing elected to full term as Detroit mayor
DETROIT — Professional basketball Hall of Famer Dave Bing has been re-elected Detroit mayor. The 65-year-old Democrat defeated accountant Tom Barrow in Tuesday’s nonpartisan general election. Bing’s NBA career lasted 12 seasons, nine with the Detroit Pistons. As mayor, he has laid off workers and demanded a 10 percent wage cut to help address the [...]
Manhattan elects 1st new prosecutor in 35 years
NEW YORK — Politically pedigreed trial lawyer Cy Vance has been elected as Manhattan’s first new district attorney in 35 years. The Democrat had 92 percent of Tuesday’s vote with 26 percent of precincts reporting. The only other contender, Working Families Party candidate Richard Aborn, wasn’t actively campaigning. Vance will oversee about 500 lawyers and [...]
Columbia voters reject school levy, won’t get middle school addition
COLUMBIA TWP. — The aging Copopa Elementary School will stick around a while longer. Voters rejected a 2.75-mill permanent improvement levy to replace the 90-year-old elementary school. If approved, the levy would have provided $5.5 million to build an addition at Columbia Middle School. Issue 28 failed 1,188 to 1,395 or 45.99 percent to 54.01 [...]