In-Depth Look At Voter Turnout Suggests More At Work Than Apathy In Santa Fe Elections

By Corey on March 9th, 2010

On March 10, the Santa Fe City Council will adopt the official results of last week’s municipal elections. We’ve pasted those results below the jump for all the local political junkies to pore over, and the new issue of SFR that hits the streets this week day will contain a mini-analysis of voter turnout—which was piss-poor as expected.

Actually, turnout was slightly worse than expected—which perhaps should be no surprise, considering the leading daily’s Eeyore treatment of the race.

The consequence of such low participation figures is easy to understand: People don’t feel invested in their government.

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Incumbents win

By Julia Goldberg on March 2nd, 2010

Unofficial city results have Coss winning with 58 percent of the vote, District 2 City Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger trouncing challenger Stefanie Beninato, and District 1 Councilor Chris Calvert holding onto his seat with ease with 57 perent of the vote compared with Russell Simon’s 28. 6 and Doug Nava 13.6.

Down at the Convention Center, Mayor Coss took the stage at about 8:30, after an introduction by Lt. Governor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish. Coss gave a brief but encompassing speech to the room, noting his gratitude and humility. Following his speech, Coss told SFR that the campaign had been “energizing, but I still need a vacation.” His win, he then said, “is a confirmation that the city is united, the city is progressive and that it recognizes hard work.”

Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger, who was under attack for most of the campaign from her challenger, told SFR her third election had been her hardest, in large part because of the “nature of the public debate,” noting that her previous challengers had been more civil (Wurzburger’s last challenger, Marilyn Bane, worked on her campaign). Wurzburger said she would have liked to have won by 95 percent, “but I’m grateful to get what I got.”

Here’s the lowdown from District 1 incumbent Chris Calvert’s victory party, along with the lowdown from Simon and Kepler.

I’ll have Coss and Wurzburger’s speeches shortly.

Kepler Concedes — Sort Of (Updated With Video Of Speech)

By Corey on March 2nd, 2010

Asenath Kepler just told applauding supporters of her failed mayoral campaign that their fight–as she put it, the fight of dissatisfied elements of the local private sector–will continue, with or without the mayor, with or without the city council.

We’ll find out what she has in mind, and let you know ASAP.

Update: Kepler tells SFR she wasn’t referring to a new activist or lobbying group, per se, but rather, a concerted private-sector effort to accomplish specific local projects outside the City Council process. For instance: funding a youth theater proposed by Arthur Jaramillo.

Update: Watch a video of Kepler’s speech after the jump.

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Coss Wins Mayoral Election

By Corey on March 2nd, 2010

Mayoral candidate Asenath Kepler’s campaigners are filling in results on this board as they arrive.

“This is depressing,” SFR overheard one Kepler supporter say.

Mayor David Coss appears to have sizable leads in every precinct that’s reported results so far.

Update: @Zanes_world Tweets that Coss wins with 58 percent of the vote.

Kokesh Responds To Scrabblegate

By Corey on February 10th, 2010

This week’s SFR has the lowdown on Scrabblegate: A saga that is sure to go down in history as the most inconsequential controversy of the 2010 Santa Fe municipal elections.

It all began when the reelection campaign of Santa Fe Mayor David Coss demanded the temporary relocation of a local Scrabble club with which the campaign shared office space. Team Coss feared that club member Adam Kokesh, who is running for Congress, or his devotees might use the club’s access to gather intel for Coss opponent Asenath Kepler, whom Kokesh supports.

“I was shocked,” Kokesh tells SFR. “Anyone can walk in and be a volunteer. To think that a bunch of Scrabble players would be spies was shocking to me, and it makes me wonder: What are they doing that’s so secretive?

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