Inside the election: Sometimes defeats are still victories

Here's a little bit of history in the Newport Port Commission race:

JoAnn Barton was the first contested race for any Port Commission seat. OLCV worked hard on the ground for her and she scraped out a win (173 votes) against an incumbent who held the position for eight years.

The only other contested race in that same  year, in which OLCV chose not to endorse either candidate, the challenger lost by 1083 votes.

This year OLCV endorsed Carol Cole, an unknown in the community, who decided to run on the day of the filing deadline. Cole ran against a well-known incumbent who was appointed to the Port Commission in 2006. She lost yesterday by 343 votes. This may seem like a blow out in Newport, but considering how little excitement there is around the port races in general, this is pretty close.

While this is not a statistic "win" it was a win for the environmental community in Lincoln County. OLCV forced the incumbent to campaign in a race that was supposed to be an easy win. He ran radio and newspaper ads and highlighted his position on the environment.

The OLCV Lincoln County chapter looks forward to building on this momentum and working with the Port Commission to make sure the health of the Bay and the surrounding port region is a high priority when decisions are made.

--Tresa Horney, OLCV Field Organizer

To see election results for all OLCV-endorsed candidates, visit the OLCV Endorsements and Elections page.