From her blog…

How does one thank the near-infinite energy of so many supportive neighbors? I’m humbled by and grateful for all of it. As many know, I have a certain affinity for hands-on community volunteerism and have always believed that harnessing the power of neighbors working together can yield amazing results. This election only strengthens that conviction.

At the same time, I recognize that much energy and enthusiasm was invested on both sides of the District 2 race. Kyle and I have worked together on neighborhood projects before and in a way, we were working together here as well – getting at the heart of what’s truly on people’s minds.

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From his blog…

It’s the morning after the election and a time for reflection. I won re-election to my third term on the Decatur City Commission with 69% of the vote. The widest margin of any of the city races. I deeply appreciate the community’s support and vote on my behalf. I will continue trying to do my best for Decatur.

I can’t tell you how I’ll vote on the issues, but I can tell you that I will do the research, ask questions, listen to what folks have to say, think about what I’m about to do, and use my best judgment.

Thank you.

Sent out in a press release this morning.  A more candid reaction can be found on his Twitter page.  (Those tweets have since been removed)

“I congratulate Patti Garrett for her win on Tuesday. I am proud our campaign. We fought a hard, clean campaign, based solely on the issues that face Decatur. This campaign began and now ends with my love and my commitment for our great city.

I want to thank all of our supporters, contributors, and especially the 1,372 people who voted in this race on Tuesday. It has been an amazing experience that I will never forget. Our campaign put together a coalition of neighbors from across District 2 over varying races, ethnicity, ages, sexual orientations and economic circumstances. Our campaign engaged the public, as turnout in District 2 was 82% higher than it was in the last municipal election in 2007.

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UPDATE IV: Rob Pope’s concession note…

Good Morning Decatur,

Thanks for a great race and for your interest in all the issues on school board.

It couldn’t have been much closer in my race and I appreciate all the support and discourse over the past few months.

As I told Valarie last night, Congratulations and thanks for keeping the race positive and upbeat.

I look forward to working with the School Board on all the issues our city and students must address. As for me, I will still be reading in the classroom, tutoring, helping with science, working with our phenomenal teachers and students on math skills, and coaching soccer! I look forward to continuing my work on the Clairemont School Leadership Team and getting even more involved in the Charter process with all the SLTs.

My thanks go out to the amazing volunteers that helped my campaign. I couldn’t have gotten anywhere without their help. Just remember, we are not done. There is great work ahead for City Schools of Decatur and we need to all stay involved and engaged to make it work for all of us. My message is still the same, More and Better Communication, Empower the SLTs and Utilize the Charter System, and true Financial Responsibility. Keep up the efforts for all our children and citizens!

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to you, hear your concerns, and actually try to make sure they were voiced. See in the schools and around town (Decatur Terrific Thursdays!). Don’t hesitate to contact me ar rob@robpope.org in the future.

Sincerely,

Rob Pope

UPDATE III: Garrett Goebel’s concession note…

Thank you all for the unforgettable experience of running for school board.

I have just received the official call. I received 46% of the vote.

I congratulate Marc on his re-election. I look forward to working with him. I look forward to getting back into the schools and the classrooms and working together to help improve the education we provide for every child.

I would like to thank everyone that donated their time, effort, advice and money. I have been amazed by how far we came together. I hope we can take this energy and direct it back into our schools and our community. Thank you for the honor of representing your voice.

Garrett

UPDATE II: WSB now has Wilson up 1407 to 1381 even though it previously said all precients had reported.

UPDATE: Yep, Wilson won by 20 votes.  1284 to 1264.

CSD Mom reports from the frontlines…

valarie by 20 votes, patti, marc, fred are winners.

We’ll need to determine whether that means Valarie Wilson also won re-election.  Also, we’ll need to wait for the breakdown. 

WSB seems best for updates.

Use this post to report your first-hand Election Day experiences around the city.

Attendance was light at First Christian this morning and the heat had yet to be turned on, but staff were friendly as always!  A couple James Radford supporters out in front.

Based on first-hand reports, Rob Pope seems to have blanketed the city with supporters.  I saw one waving to passing cars at Commerce and W. Ponce.

OK, everyone.  After months of debate, posturing, baby-slapping and back-kissing, it’s high time we had ourselves an election!

Tomorrow’s the big day, so warm up your voting finger, coordinate your outfit to match your “Georgia Voter” sticker, and locate your polling place.

Now that your looking good and feeling fit, do you know who you’re voting for?  If not, perhaps this list of resources will help.

Candidate Debates

Decatur Metro’s City Commission Online Debate

District 2 City Commission Debate – Opening & Closing Statement videos

Decatur eLife School Board Debate – Q & A videos

Candidate Websites and DM Posts (by district/alphabetically)

City Commission Candidates

District 1

• Fred Boykin Campaign Website (incumbent) – DM Boykin posts
• James Radford Campaign Website – DM Radford posts

District 2

• Patti Garrett Campaign Website – DM Garrett posts
• Kyle Williams Campaign Website – DM Williams posts

School Board Elections

At-Large

• Rob Pope Campaign Website – DM Pope posts
• Valarie Wilson Campaign Website (incumbent) – DM Wilson posts

District 1

• Garrett Goebel Campaign Website – DM Goebel posts
• Marc Wisniewski Campaign Website (incumbent) – DM Wisniewski posts

Here are the campaign disclosures (in PDF format) for Decatur City Commission candidates for the month of October.

District 1

Fred Boykin – Total Oct. Contributions – $350 / Total Oct. Contributions less than $101 – $100

James Radford – Total Oct. Contributions – $450 / Total Oct. Contributions less than $101 – $250

District 2

Patti Garrett – Total Oct. Contributions – $815 / Total Oct. Contributions less than $101 – $665

Kyle Williams – Total Oct. Contributions – $525 / Total Oct. Contributions less than $101 – $275

With just a few days left until Election Day, District 2 candidate Patti Garrett summarizes her positions on annexation, crime, development, environmental issues, historic preservation, pedestrian/cycling safety, railroad safety, schools, tax relief, and transportation/traffic over on her blog.

If any of the other city commission candidates wish to summarize their positions prior to the big day, I’m happy to link to them as well.

Ah, but not the one you think.

What?  You thought I was going to do a straight up “who will you vote for poll?”?

Please.

I can already see all you scarily passionate candidate advocates deleting your cookies as many times as you physically can before the carpal tunnel sets in.  It would be worse than Afghanistan.

The trick with completely unscientific online polls is to only ask questions that no one has enough of a vested interest in to stuff the ballot box.

Don’t forget about tonight’s City Commission and School Board Forum at Oakhurst Elementary!

Michael sends in the details…

The forum kicks off at 7 p.m., with School Board candidates Valarie Wilson and Rob Pope answering questions from the audience in the first hour. Both will make closing statements just before 8 p.m.

After which, City Commission candidates Kyle Williams and Patti Garrett answer questions. The forum wraps up at 9 p.m.

Note cards and pens will be provided to audience members at the forum — and they may submit questions anonymously if they prefer.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend so if anyone feels like giving a recap of the action in the comments section post-forum, I’d be most appreciative!