Perhaps the most surprising returns of the night came from the District 150 School Board election (winners in bold):
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linda Butler | 1,439 | 24.87% |
| 2 | Rachael Parker | 1,277 | 22.07% |
| 3 | Bill O’Brien | 1,243 | 21.49% |
| 4 | Alicia Butler | 962 | 16.63% |
| 5 | Beth Akeson | 864 | 14.94% |
I was not surprised that Alicia Butler didn’t win. On her campaign postcard, the very first bullet point reads, “Open, honest communication with the community.” Kind of ironic, isn’t it? Since the charges were levied that she did not have the degrees she claimed to have, she’s not had open communication with anyone (we’re still waiting for a comment from her lawyer), and obviously her honesty is the very thing at issue.
I was surprised that she didn’t come in last. Beth Akeson tied for first place in my precinct, but in district 2 at large she came in dead last, even behind Alicia Butler. I’m not sure I understand why. I guess her message just didn’t resonate with the voters. Maybe this is for the best — now she can continue to focus on the Heart of Peoria Commission instead of having her interests divided.
Bill O’Brien was interviewed on WCBU after the final numbers came in. Even though he only lost by approximately 30 votes, he was willing to graciously concede rather than pursue a recount. We all thought that was very gentlemanly of him.
Rachael Parker was one of my endorsements, so it’s good to see her win, of course.
The biggest surprise to me was that Linda Butler came in first. I’m clearly out of touch with other voters in the second district because I didn’t see that coming at all. I felt Linda Butler was the status-quo candidate; she’s the only candidate that didn’t take a hard stance against the school in the park idea. I never would have expected her to come in first.
I’m going to predict that this will not represent much of a shift for the school board.
Only 5,785 ballots were cast out of how many registered voters I wonder. I think it safe to say that apathy reigns in Peoria! ^oo^~
one feral kat: it would appear that the actual number of registered voters would be even less than 5,785 because of undervoting (only cast one of two votes available, didn’t vote at all…) It would be interesting to determine the actual number of registered voters in D150 – District 2 who actually cast votes.
Linda Butler was last on my list of choices. She seemed to me the sort that would quickly fall into the ‘hug a thug’ camp.
One Feral Kat: It’s not apathy, its hopelessness. Most people believe that nothing will change no matter how they vote, so why bother. Sadly, there is a some truth to that. The problems of Dist. 150 are way beyond the power of 1 or 2 board members. Another problem, of course, is too many elections, and never-ending elections. If you didn’t know better, you would think the 2008 Presidential election was next month. Normal people have lives beyond political campaigns. Not arguing in favor of not voting, just explaining it.
Alicia Butler was already in the ‘hug a thug’ camp. She refused to vote yes on any expulsion.
It would be interesting to know how many of the parents who actually have students in #150 are registered to vote. Is there a correlation between people living below, at or near the poverty level and not being registered to vote?
Well, the good news for Butler: On her next resume, she can say she won this election.
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now that’s funny! I literally laughed out loud when I read that.
Disappointed does not adequately describe my reaction in learning Ms. Akeson was not going to hold one of the seats on the school board. Remarks regarding her membership at Peoria Country Club are irrelevant to the discussion. She appeared to have researched the issues well and was upfront on her stance on matters. It was clear during the campaign that she is an individual that is not afraid to speak her mind. I actually disagreed with her position on a number of matters but felt she would bring a vitality to the Board this is sorely missing.
BMW