Posted on 04/30/2002 7:49:27 PM PDT by July 4th
Ryan lost his own community in early returns Tuesday
Hales Corners Village President Jim Ryan lost his own community as early returns Tuesday night showed Scott Walker leading in the race for Milwaukee County Executive.
Ryan lost Hales Corners by a margin of 50 votes with 47% of eligible voters in the community turning up to vote.
Early results showed Walker, a Republican member of the State Assembly from Wauwatosa, with a nearly 300-vote edge over Ryan. As of 8:30 p.m. River Hills, West Milwaukee and Hales Corners all went for Walker.
With 10 of 463 precincts reporting, Walker had 2,736 votes, or 54%, while Ryan had 2,362, or 46%, according to unofficial returns.
Voter turnout appeared to be at least as strong as in the primary and probably heavier, according to election officials.
Walker and Ryan are vying to replace F. Thomas Ament, who resigned in February amid public outrage over generous pension changes proposed by his administration and approved by the County Board.
The election has been a rapid-fire event - eight weeks from registration to runoff. Walker and Ryan emerged as the top finishers April 2, after a six-person primary that featured 14 major forums. Since then, the two have squared off at least 28 more times, an average of one a day. Though attendance waned at some of the final forums, in the past two months several thousand voters have seen the candidates side by side in person.
On April 2, more than 139,000 people voted, with turnout in Milwaukee at 22%. In the suburbs, turnout was between 30% and 40%. That day, however, there were other races on the ballot that helped draw voters to the polls.
Turnout Tuesday was one measure of the public's interest in county government and the changes that are taking place. Like the executive's race today, upcoming recall votes against county supervisors will take place on days when no other election is on the ballot.
Barring a recount, the new executive likely will be sworn in May 9 or 10, county officials said.
------------------LATEST--------------------
Milwaukee County Executive
REPORTING 86%
Scott WALKER - 96,734 - 58%
Jim RYAN - 71,444 - 42%
Q: didn't you say you needed some help in RA? Have Signs Will Travel. Many thanks for all your support.
The frauds pulled off in person were matched by heavy-duty absentee ballot chicanery. Clean that up and then we'll talk.
NEXT, THE SENATE!!
Let's make Chuckie the Lizard Boy minority leader!
Walker Wins Milwaukee County Executive Race
Scott Walker
"Today by a clear mandate, we voted to take back county government. Today, we took the first step. Starting tomorrow, we will begin this campaign to restore county government, and I need your help.
"Please do not let this interest in county government fade away. Some out there might try to downplay our victory, but don't forget that 182,000 people did an extraordinary thing a couple months ago. You know, we did it again today."
Jim Ryan
"While we didn't win an election, we did win people who want to energize around these themes and values. You can't let this go."
"I think Scott did a better job of getting his message across. I think my message might have been a little more difficult to understand."
Quotes from Walker Supporters
"Scott has specific plans. I think the public wanted CRG to make an endorsement. They were telling us "finish the job." Scott had a reform plan, so we felt he was the best candidate."
--Orville Seymer, Citizens for Responsible Government
"When I started recruiting people to run, Scott was the first to respond. He believes what he says, and does what he says. That's what we need after what has happened in county government. I've known Scott since 1995 and know he will do a great job."
--Trent Jay, chairman of Wauwatosa Republicans
"I didn't vote (with a laugh). Scott had a plan. Ryan was willing to keep an open mind on everything. People wanted specifics."
--Don Taylor, chairman of Waukesha County Republicans
Quotes from Ryan Supporter
"I'm very disappointed. I think African Americans and Hispanics will be kept out of the loop. We already are the most segregated city in the country. Looking at the record (of Walker), I believe that will only get worse.
"In 30 days, there will be a press conference to see what he has done. He made a lot of promises to a lot of people. We will make sure he is held accountable for the remaining 18 months.
"We cannot allow this community to remain segregated, both financially and spiritually. I represent the voiceless, those who have never had a voice in government. Every 30 days, we will keep track of what did you do in 30 days."
--Tyrone Dumas, who finished fourth in the primary
Take notice of the Ryan "supporter" (singular) quoted . . .
So was I, though whereto? We must retake our cities. Civilization seems to me to require them. We cannot flee forever.
It gives me some hope for our city. I really want to see how the city of Milwaukee voted. If the city went for Walker, there really may be hope, though not much. Walker is a first rate candidate and they are hard to find.
Regards, Cincinnati manes.
Yes, and I am eager to see and analyize the results of this election to determine whether that is a phenomenon only in big national races. I think the chinanigans are directed less by local politics than by nationally spear-headed organizations.
I was talking with my brother just before the polls closed and afterwards thinking up a few ways to prevent the worst of the chinanigans with little effort. And we have discussed them with many on the forum and those (very very few) in the (almost dead) Milwaukee Republican party.
Possibly you could post your artwork of lizard boy for a laugh and motivation?
I think we should really focus on the possibility of reforming Milwaukee. Even if we get back the Senate seats, they are only two voices among 100. And the Washington has usurped our rights some sixty odd years ago under FDR and slowly reduced the Constitution to a meaningless document.
I think that real reform must come locally. We should back Walker as he asked us to at his victory speech (not much of one, my only criticism of Walker). But he's right. We have an opportunity to take back our local government.
I am rereading DeTocqueville for the first time straight through. And I think he is quite on the mark that a healthy democracy requires strong local administration, run by the citizens and not by bureaucrats (lit. rule by the desk). The only way we shall ever reclaim our rights and powers of self government from the feds is by taking control of the local governments first, that is how "to get people involved and interested in government."
The local is what matters. Perhaps, Scott is realizing this after his efforts in Madison.
With control of the state senate in the hands of Republicans: voter reform measures would pass, concealed carry would pass, tax decreases would have a much better chance...etc., etc., etc.
I do agree with you, though, that this change in the climate in Milwaukee County will have a dramatically positive effect on the rest of the state...FINALLY!
I'm not sure Ryan quite understood it. He was never consistant on the issues, but his stance seemed to evolve over the race.
His difficulty was that he didn't really understand why the voters had recalled Ament -- probably why he never signed the petition itself.
Ryan seemed like a decent man, but somewhat out of touch with the metropolitan and therefore unprepared to handle the real difficulties that face our county and city.
Perhaps, in the end Walker won because the liberals were completely blind-sided by the Ament bomb. And they still don't get it. Perhaps, another reason to draw hope for the future.
By all means, ridding the capitol of that "leadership" is of great local concern and one representative will make quite a lot of difference.
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