North Liberty: Sides can't agree on run-off judge

North Liberty: Sides can't agree on run-off judge



I've been chicken on commenting re: the North Liberty election challenge. But I am going to pass along a few factoids.



The Press-Citizen headline today is



Sides can't agree on run-off judge



which is just wrong. The RECOUNT, which affected only the mayor's race, is done. There was no change on the numbers that came out of the machine; the panel interpreted three write-ins differently but that wasn't decisive.



What's going on now is the election is being CONTESTED which is a different breed of cat. It's two separate challenges - one for mayor, one for council - though the issues are similar. And, as noted, the two sides in each case can't agree on who to name as the neutral third party.



Meanwhile, the guys who won, er, got the most votes, want the council to hold off on a 200-acre housing subdivision - and other major development issues until this is sorted out. (It's worth noting that the previous mayor, a real estate developer, resigned in anticipation of conflict of interest questions.)



And while I won't stick my own neck too far out, here's County Supervisor (and former Democcratic Party chair) Rod Sullivan from his weekly e-mail newsletter yesterday:

I am concerned about recent comments and actions regarding the municipal elections in North Liberty. Run off elections were eliminated there in 1985. Since then, candidates need only get a plurality of the vote to be elected. Several former councilors (and at least one current councilor) would not have been able to be seated if a majority vote was required.



I am an unashamed booster of Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett and his office. There is no question in my mind that this election was handled properly. People may not like the results, but to question the integrity of the Auditor's office is uncalled for. This is not blind faith; the Auditor's track record is excellent.



It is one thing to be disappointed following an election. Been there, done that. It is entirely another matter when you hire attorneys and call into question the integrity of the Commissioner of Elections.



The people of North Liberty have spoken, and they deserve better than they are getting. I hope this issue is resolved soon.

NH Official wants to lower drinking age for troops

NH Official wants to lower drinking age for troops



The Daily Iowan is trying to put lowering the drinking age on the map, using a New Hampshire proposal as a starting point and actually nailing down one area legislator (Dave Jacoby) for some quotes that are unfortunately too ambiguous.



Mixed feeling: I despise the concept of special privileges for the military, but like the idea of lowering the age. If the war puts the issue of the age of majority on the table, I suppose that's a small good thing out of a big bad thing, but it won't really go anywhere until, inevitably, Bush starts to pust the draft (probably right after the midterm elections).

Kos: Secretary of Defense Lieberman?

Kos: Secretary of Defense Lieberman?



Joementum to the administration? It surfaced again in Sunday Talk world.



Kos and I agree:

This would be the best chance to get rid of someone who is corrossive to Democratic unity. And someone who is tragically wrong on the war. Would he better than Rumsfeld at the Pentagon? Yeah right. They're two peas from the same pod. The job should go to someone who has a firm grip on reality, not someone who will keep pretending we are turning corner after corner in Iraq.



So things would be a wash at the Pentagon. We'd lose a seat in the Senate, and add a seriously contested Senate race to the 2006 calendar. But, we could finally get rid of Lieberman and we'd stand a good chance of replacing him with a better Democrat, one who isn't typecast as the go-to Democrat for Fox News and the Wall Street Journal when they need a Democrat to bash other Democrats.

Congress votes database at washingtonpost.com

Congress votes database at washingtonpost.com

This looks like an EXTREMELY useful tool. Check it out.

Vilsack staffer leaves to join Blouin campaign

Vilsack staffer leaves to join Blouin campaign



More inside baseball stuff leaking into the Gazette:

Matt Paul was one of Vilsack's original administrative team, first handling scheduling duties once Vilsack began his first term in January 1999 and then becoming the governor's press secretary in November 2002. He took a three-month leave in 2003 to work on former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's presidential campaign in the Iowa caucuses...

Howard Dean to Mike Blouin is quite a journey.



Vilsack's given us _NDORS_M_NT, we hardly need to buy the vowel to solve this puzzle.

NASA ditches IE in favor of Firefox

NASA ditches IE in favor of Firefox



So: Does it take a rocket scientist to figure that out?

Iowa ranks 41st in teacher pay

Iowa ranks 41st in teacher pay

One reason for our brain drain:

"I want to know why a teacher in Minnesota earns almost $8,000 more than an Iowa teacher," said Linda Nelson, president of the Iowa State Education Association, which represents 32,000 teachers. "This has gone from being a state embarrassment to a disgrace."

Well, that and there's more to do in the Twin Cities than in East Soybean.

Stewart Iverson wants to know: "Where's the money coming from?" (David Yepsen suggests raising regressive taxes.)