Shock and awe

Well, the post title might be a little extreme, but at least great surprise — that’s what everybody I’ve talked to seems to be feeling following Tuesday’s passage of the USD 457 bond issue. All sorts of people I encountered yesterday seemed to expect before Election Day that the issue wouldn’t get the voter support it needed, especially following the recent economic downturn.

Did the fact that the issue was on a general election ballot, at a time of record voter turnout, make the difference? I admit, I thought it would hurt the district’s cause.

It seemed to me bond supporters would be able to mobilize their “yes” voters, in general, no matter when the item was on the ballot. But the presidential election, I thought, would draw out a lot of people who were uninformed or just didn’t care. They’d see a measure that would increase their taxes and, not having strong thoughts on the proposal itself, would reject it.

Some others thought differently, however, with board member John Scheopner saying he thinks the timing helped put the measure over the top. The presidential race drew out a lot of younger voters — folks who might have kids in school or at least be thinking about having children soon.

Were you surprised the bond issue passed? What factors helped give it the narrow win?