By ERIC SCOTT CAMPBELL
New Albany voters kept all five incumbent City Council members in office Tuesday and chose four newcomers to replace current members not on the ballot.
The Democratic Party retained its 8-1 majority on the panel; at-large incumbent Kevin Zurschmiede remains the council’s only Republican.
At-large incumbent Jack Messer and incumbent district representatives Dan Coffey, Jeff Gahan and Steve Price won re-election, with Coffey unopposed. They will be joined by at-large member John Gonder and district representatives Bob Caesar, Pat McLaughlin and Diane McCartin Benedetti. All are Democrats.
“People in New Albany, I guess, have been pleased with what we’ve done on council,” Messer said.
The outcomes
Messer and Gonder led all council vote-getters in the May primaries, and they repeated that feat Tuesday night, garnering 4,106 and 4,105 votes respectively. Both men placed in the top three among at-large candidates in 29 of 34 precincts.
Fellow Democrat Jim Hollis won, placed or showed in 20 precincts, but still lost by 140 votes to Zurschmiede, who did so in 15 precincts. Republicans Richard Berryman and Steve Burks each finished 800 to 900 votes out of the running.
“I’m kind of surprised,” Messer said. “I thought there’d be more Republicans on there.”
Zurschmiede called his victory “a bit bittersweet,” given that it was his party’s only win.
“I thought that, given four years of the council being Democratic,” things would even out, Zurschmiede said. “I heard a lot of people complaining.”
Asked whether he expected to win, Gonder replied, “I did, and then I didn’t, then I did again. Kind of a roller coaster, really.”
Two former council members lost their return bids. Caesar routed Harry Harbison in the District 2 race by a 2-to-1 ratio, while McCartin Benedetti squeaked by Dick Bliss in District 5 by 47 votes.
“I expected the margin to be what it was,” McCartin Benedetti said. “Mr. Bliss is a great person — he’s dedicated a lot of time to New Albany — but I think people wanted a change.”
Bliss, who served five terms from 1983 to 2003, said he “felt like I’d have a better showing because I had several Democratic people who thought I had a good chance.” He also felt the city’s “disenfranchised” voters didn’t act on those feelings.
“People tell you one thing, and you go to the polls and it’s something else,” Bliss said.
Price kept his District 3 seat, winning all precincts.
“I thought it might be a little closer,” said Price, who prevailed over Republican Brenda Scharlow and Libertarian Thomas Keister.
In the only race featuring no one with council experience, McLaughlin captured 58 percent of the District 4 vote to beat Republican David Aebersold. McLaughlin had nearly unseated current Council President Larry Kochert in the 2003 party primary.
Gahan’s race was closer, as he claimed 53 percent of the vote against Republican Sam Anderson in District 6. Weeks ago, Anderson assumed the ballot spot of deceased candidate Dick Stewart, for whose family Gahan expressed condolences Tuesday night.
Getting along
City Council attorney Jerry Ulrich approached Gonder Tuesday night with his own brand of congratulations.
“Welcome to the monkey house,” said a deadpan Ulrich, getting a laugh from Gonder.
Despite its overwhelming majority, the council’s Democratic contingent divided and argued on several visible issues, and most of the victorious candidates pledged to alleviate that in the term to come.
“It’s really just a new day,” said Gahan, a two-time panel president. “We’ve got a new mayor, a new council. I’m really optimistic.”
“I’m glad it’s over,” Price said. “Now, hopefully, we’ll all sit down and work things out.”
Said Messer, “I think you’re going to see a council that’s going to work together and not fight in public.”
Gonder said he’d be “trying to change the tone” of council meetings, while fellow newcomer McCartin Benedetti proclaimed, “The No. 1 key is to work as a team.”
Zurschmiede has spent only one year on the council, having replaced Mark Seabrook when the latter was elected to the Floyd County Commissioners, but he said, “I’m confident that it’s going to be easier” working with the next council.
Issues ahead
Lawsuits may define much of the next council’s first year. The current council has sued the sewer and stormwater utilities for issuing no-bid contracts and has been sued for failure to redraw council district lines for more equal population.
The nine members will start with a combined 21 years of experience, less than half of the 44 their predecessors began with in 2003.
Nonetheless, incumbents and newcomers alike identified issues they want to address before 2011.
Price said he wants to find the root of the Street Department’s budget woes in recent years, while Gonder emphasized the need for more panels of residents to provide feedback to elected officials.
Caesar will push for improved cleanliness of private and public spaces.
“There’s money to do that with,” Caesar said. “I want to be able to make a difference in how citizens feel.”
