Election Results

Bobby Hopewell will be the new mayor of Kalamazoo. He topped current mayor Hannah McKinney by 54 votes. Hopewell spent $20,000 on the race. He is likely interested in the state house seat of Robert Jones when it opens up in 2010 or 2012.

All 6 incumbents were reelected. There was a huge drop-off between the incumbents and the challengers. Convicted embezzler Stephanie Moore was elected to the seventh spot on the commission.

In Portage, Margaret O'Brien and Larry DeShazor were reelected. Elizabeth Campbell captured the third open seat.

All of the tax increases passed. The KRESA strategy of holding the election when there would be higher turnout in Kalamazoo and Portage appears to have succeeded. Both Portage tax increases also passed.

This brings to mind the Mencken quote:

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.