A mock municipal election at Bristol Central High School gives hope to the Republicans.
Though Democrat Art Ward came out on top among the 800 students voting in the mock election, Republican contenders Mark Anderson won the treasurer's race and two of the GOP City Council candidates beat their Democratic foes.
Here are the results of the polling among students:
Mayor
Democrat Art Ward - 384
Republican Ken Johnson - 338
Treasurer
Republican Mark Anderson - 355
Democrat Bill Veits - 344
1st District City Council
Democrat Rich Kilby - 541
Democrat Cliff Block - 420
Republican Mike Rimcoski - 373
2nd District City Council
Democrat Bruce Lydem - 388
Republican Ken Cockayne - 327
Democrat Kevin McCauley - 326
Republican Joe Geladino - 210
Independent Mark Blaschke - 157
3rd District City Council
Democrat Frank Nicastro - 592
Republican Bob Merrick - 421
Democrat Craig Minor - 334
This year's mock election was once again sponsored by the Social Studies department with the help of a senior, Brock Weber, who's active in Republican politics in town.
Teacher Lea McCabe's ELL (English Language Learners) Social Studies class also took part in organizing the mock election as part of its unit on the democratic process. Though most of the students in McCabe's ELL class are from Central American countries, she also has a student from Ukraine. These students, with the help of Weber, organized the ballots and tallied the results.
They had a greater than 50 percent response rate and more than 800 ballots cast.
PS: For those who read an early version of this post, the mistakes were mine. I posted in haste because I was getting ready to go trick or treating with my kids.
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
24 comments:
Yes! Minor is not looking like he will get in.
BROCK GOOD JOB .
The weirdest thing in the results, without a doubt, is Mark Anderson's victory. It might be his first.
Steve, it's the stereotype. Treasurer=money=Republican
You want to stereotype treasurers, fine, but just take a look at Anderson. He's a sight. I've heard he drinks out of a paper bag, too.
Steve -- you have kids? You trick or treat? Such a Socialist pagan tradition! I should have known. Really, I thought you lived in a hovel and only came up from this blog for air and Diet Pepsi.
Yeah, Collins. Who woulda thought you'd have a life.
Great news for Ken Johnson. To poll within 5 percentage points of Ward in a traditionally democratic area of town spells major victory for the Johnson camp.
If Mark anderson wins it goes to show you that the Treasurer's position needs to be appointed rather than elected.
It's bad enough that the city had a social worker Patti Ewen as Treasurer for a long time.
I rooting for Anderson though. John Letizia should have been the Democratic nominee but got screwed by the Dems becasue he's friends with a few Republicns.
We need officeholders who are going to work in a bipartisan fashion.
I think the Dems shot themselves in the foot with Viets.
one would have to include more people in the poll than just moccabee and schaffrick if it is to be considered reliable.
Nope Ward will win!
I have a kid in high school and he tells me kids voted because they thought their names were cool. Give me a break! And you take the word of high schoolers who most will probably never step into a voting booth? I don't think so.
Mark Anderson would be a fine city treasurer. At least he understands by-laws and etiquette un-like his opponent who doesn't understand these things in the fraternal organization that belongs to and uses for his own political and financial gain.
Steve, I think your remarks in regards to Anderson are unprofessional and inappropriate. Perhaps you're jealous of him because he is a fellow reporter (Anderson worked for the Press as well as medium-sized paper in eastern Connecticut) and now Anderson has a nice job with a better pension and benefits?
I like Mark. I suppose I should be envious of his pay, pension and benefits, but I'm really not. I long ago accepted that most everyone has a higher salary and more benefits than I do.
If that bugged me more, I'd just go get a different job.
I was just trying to add a little levity. I was actually just thinking of the way he'd lost some earlier races where Mark was mostly just filling a blank on the ballot for the Republicans. I doubt he really wanted to win those races very much. And I'm quite sure he has no burning desire to be the treasurer of Bristol (though if he wins, he'd be fine).
Oh Steve, quit sucking up to that hasbeen Mark Anderson. He's not going to share that bag with you, no matter what you say, so just go get your own.
I think, anonymous poster, that you have to have BEEN someone to be a hasbeen. I don't think Mark Anderson qualifies.
Mark Anderson won't be a hasbeen soon enough.
Steve, I think you were being kind in your first remark about Mark. Now you're just bending over backwards to come off as a nice guy. Give it up. It ain't worth the work, not for these clowns.
Mark Anderson will be your next City Treasurer!
Go! Mark Go!
McCauley and Minor need to start planning their breakfast dates with Zoppo not that they will all be counciless!
They both should have known being her puppets all these years would come back to bite them in the butts, didn't they?
Steve,
I don't care if you like Mark or not. You (someone in your position) should not be calling it "weird" that a good man like Mark won this mock election.
Maybe the kids at BCHS respect guys who graduated from Tufts University, earned a Purple Heart in Viet Nam and have lived a good, clean honorable life like Mark Anderson has?
I'm sorry for calling it weird. That can have a connotation I didn't mean. All I meant was that Anderson's victory was the one that political insiders would find most surprising.
And, indeed, that is the one they found most surprising.
If Mark Anderson truly wanted to campaign -- and did it -- I have no doubt he would make a solid candidate.
Rich Kilby 2nd ! People of bristol all know we need a change its about time. Go Kilby !
On Tuesday it will Cockayne in a landside...not by one vote.
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