Election must fade to memory as we all look ahead

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 10, 2005

Wheeeeww! That collective sigh of relief is the entire news staff voicing our relief that another election is in the books and history. And what election it was.

For Ironton voters, this election was probably one of the most important in recent years and had many key issues.

From the hotly contested municipal judge race to the municipal fee to the passionate battle on both sides of the school issue, the 2005 election is one that will certainly not soon be forgotten.

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The Tribune's news team worked hard before, during and after E-Day to provide the most comprehensive, fair coverage of the entire ballot and the things that matter to you, our readers. Reporters Teresa Moore, Justin McElroy, Catherine Burcham and news clerk Debbie Smathers worked many hours to explain complicated subjects and find two sides to every issue. Photographer Jessica St. James tried to capture the moments that will be remembered.

They will be quick to tell you this wasn't an easy task at times. They took a lot of heat from those in the public for The Tribune's endorsements. Publisher Kevin Cooper and myself were the only ones involved in these decisions, but the news staff had to take their fair share of misdirected abuse.

We tried to do our part to educate the public and explain exactly what this election meant. Whether or not that was effective or not, I don't know but I think the voting results showed one thing - the voters knew the issues on which they were voting.

With a ballot that could easily overwhelm some with its bulk, voters appeared to look at each individual issue and make their decisions. Most voters did not just go down the list and check &#8220no” on all the local and state issues. They weighed each one carefully.

The floodwall levy passed handily while the municipal fee was soundly defeated. The school levy was in the middle and narrowly fell. Even on the state issues, voters adopted Issue 1 but opted not to approve the rest.

It doesn't matter whether an individual agrees with those choices or not, the voters made their own minds up.

Now that the dust has settled, it is time for the city and the county to come together and move forward. The squabbles and differences must be put to rest so that unity can carry us through.

Michael Caldwell is managing editor of The Ironton Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com.