2008 local election results

The first race called in our area goes to incumbent Collin Peterson in the U.S. House race.

From the AP:
First-term Reps. Tim Walz of Mankato and Keith Ellison of Minneapolis and Rep. Betty McCollum of St. Paul successfully defended their seats in Congress on Tuesday, and the other two Democrats who represent Minnesota in the House were trying to do the same.

In addition, Peterson, seeking a 10th term, defeated Republican Glen Menze, an accountant and farmer who lost to him in 2000. Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, led passage of the federal farm bill this year.

As many of you also probably have heard, Barack Obama was projected as the winner of Minnesota as well.

Doug, Terry and Jorge will have more on local elections soon.

This will be a long sad 4 years, until our next presidential election. :(

Anything on the city elections and the spraying issue?

Sorry if the results look a little messy right now. The numbers you see are raw data from the County Auditor's Office. The first number after each candidate's name is the number of votes. The second number is the percentage of the overall vote.

These numbers are being updated every couple minutes and when all precincts are counted, I will format them more prettily for you all.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)

Why does the school referendum show only a couple hundred voting?
There must have been over 3,000 votes cast.

Honeybear, why must you be sad for the next 4 years? Sounds like a lousy way to live. Why not be excited for the possibilities of a new era? Get involved in your community, express your opinions, reach out to your neighbors, look for ways to collaborate with people all over the political spectrum...maybe the next four will be the best yet.

Well at least the Hutch school bond (athletics subsidy) got voted down. We'll be sucked dry by Obama so there won't be much for the school anyway.

Tip, are you a plumber thats makes $250,000? If not, don't worry you will pay less tax.

The three Hutchinson city precincts' results are not in yet. The McLeod County Auditor's Office reports there are a lot of write-in votes on those ballots.

We'll post the updated results as soon as they become available. This will include the City Council race and mosquito spraying referendum.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)

In regards to the school bond referendum and its failure - if so many citizens and students are embarrassed by our school facilities, you can always open enroll elsewhere. I believe that Dassel Cokato or Litchfield or Glencoe Silver Lake would all love to have you become part of their student body - the state money would follow you to whatever district you would be attending. The fact that the schools are deteriorating is not because our maintenance department is ignoring problems. These folks are doing what they can to keep the buildings safe. It is because the school board refuses to budget for maintenance improvements. Approximately 30 years ago there was a building referendum where the taxpayers were asked for a tax increase to replace the boilers/furnaces at the high school. This referendum passed, but the money never made it to the improvements promised. If I recall correctly, I believe a "budget crunch" caused this money to be directed for something besides what it was intended for. Believe it not, our school board at that time did not provide for those improvements, and thus a lot of trust was lost in the school board. Obviously, this continues today. And to the students who feel that they are being shortchanged because of a lack of a new building, please remember what an education is all about. It isn't about athletics and sports or bricks and mortar, but rather it is about how you will survive in this big world once you leave your parents' home. You, and only you will be responsible for yourself once you are on your own. If any one has toured any college campus, you will note that there is a mixture of old and new buildings. A lot of old buildings, and those folks are beaming with pride with their campuses in spite of the old buildings. That is because they are more concerned with giving their students a good education rather than showing off some new building that doesn't mean a thing if the students wouldn't be there. I don't know of any potential college student who chooses a college because of a pretty new building, but rather they are seeking what type of education that college will provide to them. Get over it folks, if you don't like it, leave and find the school district that will provide a new building you want.

Rather than open enrolling, why don't those of us who want our children to not have to wear their winter jackets to class all just move out of this God forsaken town? How would you like that Jane Doe? Why don't all the professional people who work in this town and try to contribute to this community, just up and leave and move to a district that actually cares about their schools. Then Jane, when you get sick and need to see a Dr. you can drive to Waconia or somewhere where they actually have nice facilities and actually attract quality people to work in their town. By voting no to new schools you do so much more damage to this town. What kind of message does this send to the teachers we have in Hutchinson? Do you think we attract very many 'teachers of the year' with our facilities? How many reputable colleges are going to actually want a Hutchinson grad that has never had a chemistry lab?? Wake up people, if you're taxes don't go up from new educational buildings, they'll go up because of something else. At least if this had passed, we'd have something to show for our tax increase. These problems in our schools aren't going away and the cost of construction is only going to increase. Oh yeah, I forgot we don't pass bonds in this town. So my kid who graduates is 2016 will get to do so in a 45 year old school...I think not. I'm out of here...your ignorance can be your bliss.

The problem with this school proposal was that it was too expensive. My property taxes would have gone up $500+ if both plans passed, that’s in the addition of the $500 I already give to the school district. With the county, city and school taxes I pay close to $2400 each year and I’m sure there are many people paying more than that. The bottle line for me is how much more will I have to pay. I’m not against fixing and renovating the school if the proposals are reasonable, but the plans in the past have not been reasonable to me. Those who say shame on us for voting no on these proposals, are you willing to step up to the plate an pay even more than the $1000 I would had to pay?

I voted no, because of the football field, track changes,and new gym . Those are not necessary at this time. I would vote yes, for air conditioning, electrical upgrades, and other necessities,to provide a learning environment.
For those of you who are embarassed by our schools, and our town, since Main St. also is made up of old buildings, I have a truck, trailer, and probably a few volunteers to help you move out.
We don't need snobs in this town. So take your attitude elsewhere.

What? No chemistry labs? Since when? Granted the school district may not have state of the art chemistry labs, but the fact of the matter is, there is chemistry, chemistry labs, etc. offered at Hutchinson High School. Also, physics, and many different science/math courses are offered to our students. If these classes would not be offered, then I believe the school district would be in big trouble with the Minnesota Department of Education. (And if what you say is true that these classes are not offered perhaps a call to the MN Department of Education will get the ball rolling and improvements will be made,) and by the way, if a levy referendum is needed to provide those classes then I would vote yes for that. However, a new building won't get you there!! Teachers and students make a school, not a building!!! And, I have yet to see a teacher leave the Hutchinson School District because of poor facilities. Please enlighten me if we have lost a "great" teacher because of that fact!! Otherwise, get your priorities in order and be somewhat considerate of the taxpayers who would be paying for all of these building improvements you want!! Perhaps get to know your neighbor, and understand how they may be struggling just to pay their bills. Then you may understand why the folks in this area simply cannot afford the type of bond referendum that keeps coming up. I am not sure where all of the folks work who want these improvements, but I would venture to say that most people in this area are working for barely $8.00-$15.00 per hour (and perhaps holding down 2 jobs, too.), plus making a house payment, car payment, utility payments, insurance payments, etc., etc. or are either living on a limited income (Social Security). Like I said before, if you don't like it here, you can always leave. That is the beauty of living in the U.S. You do have choices!!

I voted no because i don't see why they just can't update the old. I already pay 1800 a year in property taxes and am not interested in my taxes going up another 500 to a thousand bucks for a brand-spanking new bldg. I have seen the Howard lake, Winsted school buildings(by the way, that was 2 districts combining into 1). Very nice. I just don't think this town has the tax base to support the project they want to undertake. Look at the hi-way 7 and 15 improvements. We didn't need all that. We could have made due with less. Then we would have had more for our kids. We need a more fiscally responsible city council and maybe if the school would spend the money where it was ear-marked for there would be less problems. The school i grew up in out in sd was built back in depression era times, It is still standing today and has been renovated very nicely. For a lot less than new, why can't we do that here, that's all i want to know.

I am blown away at all of the people that are saying how expensive these bonds are when I see so many people in town living in big fancy homes with plenty toys to go around. I completely understand that there are people that are struggling. I happen to be one. But for us to continually vote against these bonds is not going to make them go away. They are only going to get more expensive due to the schools needing more fixes in the future. I'm curious how many people have actually taken the tours that were offered to show the citizens of Hutchinson why this bond was so badly needed. People aren't looking at the big picture. Look at what is happening at McLeod West. Do we want that to be us in a few years because we aren't willing to spend money to make our schools safe for our kids? I'm sick of hearing people say that this is all over athletics. Park & West don't even have athletics & the plan for the high school included many other improvements besides the upgrade to the gym. Our kids need to be able to go to school without worrying if the celing tiles are going to fall on their head while they take their chemistry test. If you have things falling apart at your home, you fix them right? Why shouldn't we do the same for our schools? This isn't going to go away & if you are not happy with the current proposals then maybe you should step up & help figure out another way to go about getting these things done. Don't just sit back & complain...do something about it.

I voted No as well. I live in Hutch and pay high taxes here. My reason is that we all need to tighten our belts, these next years are going to be tough on all of us. Maybe what the citizens of Hutchinson need to think about is spending their money in Hutchinson and making Hutch a strong business community. Support your local businessess, quit running to Mpls, St. Cloud etc.. and I am speaking to the school district as well. When your business community is supported your school district will be supported. Take a minute and think honestly where u shop, is it Hutch?did you look in Hutch first
and couldn't find whatever it is that you needed and then went elsewhere or did you not look at all? This is a honest question for all of the employees of the school district, think about where u spend your money. Something to think about.

McLeod West is the way it is because the school board thought if they let things go long enough that the district would vote yes for a new school...oops...that went the wrong way. And as far as Hutch they will be the next McLeod West, but then again who cares?

Now I see that some folks are comparing the Hutchinson School District to McLeod West. Please don't compare apples to oranges. The reason that school district cannot pass a bond is because of bitter feelings between Brownton and Stewart dating back several generations. So, because of those bad feelings, a bond referendum will never become a reality. If the students could vote, it would be different because they seems to get along just fine. However, because the parents are paying the bill, they get to vote, and like I said the bad feelings towards each other emerge. The reason Hutch cannot pass a bond is because the taxpayers are just tapped out, plain and simple. It's not that they won't vote for it, they just cannot vote for it. If your taxes were going to increase $400-$500 per year (just school district taxes), of course you cannot vote for that. Plus add in the increases of the City and County, and pretty soon you will see folks leaving the City because they cannot afford to stay. So, if you think that middle to lower income families are going to accept paying for a bond referendum just to keep the rich and well-to-do professionals happy, then I think you had better think again. This is a perfect example of what is wrong in our country today. And you are correct, I no longer reside in Hutchinson and I cannot vote for a referendum in the Hutchinson School District. However, I do work in Hutchinson, and if the taxes continue to increase, my employer may find it necessary to "cut back" and I will lose my job. Think about that fact when putting your hand out for increased taxes. It may affect more than the local City of Hutchinson residents.

Absolutely pathetic! All this negativity.
First, I want to say to the voters of this community, congratulations on another mistake by not approving the school bonds AGAIN! After the last attempt, the school board asked the coomunity why they voted no and asked what the community is looking for. They asked for citizens to attend meetings and take tours of the school buildings. The attendance at these meetings was very low. The areas of concern that the school board were made aware of were researched and eventually plans were brought about addressing them concerns. It was added to our ballot yesterday and AGAIN it was voted down. What are you people thinking?
Contrary to many, I actually thought it was a good time to pass this AGAIN, the local economy needs a boost and that would have been acomplished my local contracts being awarded when possible. It would also help the local economy when people would actually want to move into this town with the improved school district. Schools are the #1 item for most famalies that are looking at relocating. With the struggling economy, building materials can be purchased at better prices.
Yes, the economy is suffering locally and nationally. We all know this but we need to do something here with our local school district and by this not passing AGAIN, we are endangering our community every time this happens. It depends on where you stand, some think half empty and some think half full. Some think the school is fine and those that school here need to deal with what we got. If the enrollment continues to drop, they say so be it. When the school district has declining enrollment, they lose money. When the district loses money, the district suffers more. Others think we need to improve our schools so we can improve education and enrollemnt. When we improve these two things, it will benefit the entire community. It's an obvious situation but the naysayers in this community cannot realize that.
I do not want to pay more for taxes either but more importantly it is worth the investment in our kids future. What if you do not have kids in school? It still benefits the future of this community. You just need to understand that!!!
I could go on and on but this is not the place for it. There is one more thing that bothered me when reading some of these posts. Those of you that are complaining that you could not afford the $1,000 in increased taxes...GUESS WHAT? If this had passed and it was going to increase your taxes $1,000 then YOU ARE LIVING OUT OF YOUR MEANS. You must live in a home that you cannot afford to begin with and that is why you are stuggling to make ends meet. Enough said for me.
WAKE UP HUTCHINSON!

Wow. Now I have a very good reason why not to send my kids to Hutchinson schools. I wouldn't want them to be around people who tell me to pull my head out of my butt. I think you need to stop and think before you type. It's a disgrace to the good citizens of Hutchinson to hear such crude phrases when discussing issues like school budgets.