Some wins, some launches

Tuesday was election day, and this was the crowd across the street from our precinct -- at the Convent now; we used to vote at Old City Hall but that was our rental and this is our residence.

Teri Johnston, one of the founders of the wind-insurance activism group, won handily in the City Commission district just to our west (Clayton, our commissioner, runs next time), whupping two opponents: the dolt incumbent and a smarmy fellow who patronized us on windows when he was on the Historic Architecture Commission.

Needless to say, we were delighted.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Weekley, whose family runs Fausto's and whom we supported, beat the incumbent Morgan McPherson -- but by taking only 49.21 percent, fell a dozen or so votes short of a majority, forcing a runoff on Nov. 6. (As more than one observer pointed out, with Fantasy Fest coming just before, the campaigns may lack a certain focus).

Other margins were even tighter. In the district just south of us, the top two contenders received 626 votes to 625; there was even a dead heat for second place in a contest for the Utility Board. Runoffs there, too.

All in all, an exciting election day -- with better than 50 percent turnout -- but as usual a brief one: Our supervisor of elections has been doing the job so well for so long that the results were final about a half-hour after the polls closed. Which meant more time for victory parties -- or campaign launches for the runoffs.