Election Day is less than 48 hours away. As we reported last month, residents of Dorchester and the surrounding area face some tough choices Tuesday, including deciding who will represent them on the village and school boards.
A near record voter turnout is predicted this year, thanks largely to the hotly contested presidential race. Here in Dorchester, however, local races dominate much of the current political talk.
For those who cannot get enough of local politics, the Times is running two separate online polls in the left column of our Web site. The online polls will end at 5 p.m. on Election Day.
In the comments section of this story, we want to hear which candidates you are supporting and why. (Please, no negative campaigning. Tell us why we should be voting for someone -- not why we should be opposing others And keep it civil.)
Once again, here is a recap of the school board and village board races.
RACE FOR DORCHESTER BOARD OF EDUCATION
Three seats are open on the Dorchester Board of Education. The primary election last spring eliminated one school board candidate, while allowing three others to emerge as popular choices among the voters.
The results of the May vote were as follows:
The results of the May vote were as follows:
- Kahle (incumbent) -- 170 votes;
- Zoubek -- 131 votes;
- Boller (incumbent) -- 120 votes;
- Wells -- 92 votes;
- Burkey -- 79 votes;
- Jacobson -- 66 votes; and
- Hoffman -- 32 votes.
All the school board candidates listed above, except Mikki Hoffman, will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. The top three vote recipients will go on to serve four-year terms.
When asked last spring which single issue was most important when voting for school board members, a Times' poll found that nearly half (48 percent) of respondents said student performance. Other key issues cited by readers were teacher/staff evaluation (16 percent); cooperation with the village government (15 percent); and new spending (14 percent).
RACE FOR DORCHESTER VILLAGE BOARD
In the race for Dorchester Village Board, six are running for two open seats. The condition of Dorchester's streets seems to be the issue atop the minds of most voters. A June poll conducted by the Times showed that 62 percent of readers said town streets should get immediate attention by the village board. Other top concerns were unkempt yards/homes (12 percent) and the water/sewer system (11 percent).
The six village board candidates appearing on the Nov. 4 ballot are:
- Jeff Jacobson;
- Todd Jensen;
- Brandon Koll;
- Dean Pracheil (incumbent);
- Alan Slepicka (incumbent); and
- Lyle Weber.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm voting for the village board candidates who start the ball rolling when it comes to getting some pavement in town. Now I know I'll be shouted down, like I always am, by a handful of people who don't want to see any progress. Just remember, every other town in Saline Co. over 300 people has paving. We are in a prime location for future growth, unlike every other town in this county except Crete, which has some serious issues thanks to illegal immigration.
ReplyDeleteI see that Friend is trying to pass an $8M bond for a new school on top of the hospital bond issue that passed in May! And the homes in Friend are probably 2-3 times the average assessment of those in Dorchester. I don't want to break the taxpayers like that. I just want a few more paved roads so I'm not eating dust and dodging craters.
With all this said I'll probably vote for two new candidates for village board unless one of the current members is for serious consideration of paved streets. It doesn't have to be every street, just the main drags.
I will be voting for the current school board members due to their leadership and foreward thinking on the new school. If bob (above) is right, Friend will be paying nearly twice for raw materials that we paid for due to the timing of our construction. We just missed the soaring costs of metals and materials. I truly believe that as your school goes, goes your town. The new school has complete reinvigorated our town and it will do wonders for the school/community pride in the kids coming up through the ranks. In short I'm voting for Ron Kahle and Bill Boller because of their guts to LEAD THE WAY!
ReplyDeleteI would like to encourage those that get to vote in the village board to look at the street issue. This spring when they were a mess, EVERY one of the comments was negative, so don't go wishy washy now that it's been drier and the streets have improved on there own.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to know what paved streets are like, drive around Exeter, Friend, Wilber, Denton, and lots more "little" towns all around us.
These towns also have the majority of the houses in nice repair (new and old). I guess a little community pride just keeps going and going, until everyone has cleaned up their property and showing the pride.
Lets go Dorchester!
It's nice to see some attention paid to local races instead of Obama-McCain-Obama-McCain-Obama-McCain like we've seen for the past 1.5 years by the national media. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis election in Dorchester could be more about "change" than the national election. If I were a betting person, I'd put money that the city election hinges on support for paving the streets.
ReplyDeleteHey, maybe we should take advantage of the new era of socialism under Mr. Obama and get the feds to pay for paved streets. Hurry before the national politicians make the dollar worth less than the paper its printed on.
Can anyone tell me which candidates are for paving? I would like to vote for them also.
ReplyDeleteNew era of socialism? You already have it with a heavily subsidized farm economy.
ReplyDeleteSchool board issues should be more than building a new school.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many more issues that dont get touched. Ask these members and potential members what "No Child Left Behind", or State Standards are and i bet you a hundred bucks they wont be able to tell you.
Small town school boards are there to deal with the BUCKS. And spending the Buck depends on how much money the farmers are making or not making in a year.
You can argue all you want, thats the way it is and always has been.
If these new candidates are so worried about the school, how many have attended meetings in the last year?
To Vested Czech, I have one question ... why can't you see there is a big difference between a safety net payment to the farmer, who works, produces and risks thousands of dollars to feed the country, versus the single welfare mom who has had five kids from five different deadbeat dads, who are also on welfare?
ReplyDeleteThere's a big difference between Republican and conservative. I'm a conservative. We need more of 'em.
Here is the difference: We have people on this board commenting that socialism is just around the corner. Our farm economy is not completely free of socialism as it has to be subsidized by the government. Therefore, socialism is a daily part of our lives. Most of us are too young to even remember a farm economy that was not subsidized. It is something we take for granted. I believe the last generation to farm in a free market economy was that of my great-grandfather, and he was born in 1888.
ReplyDeletePlease............
ReplyDeletenon of the candidates will tell you they are for paving or they will lose 50 percent of the votes in Dorchester.
paving is way to expensive at this point and the candidates know this. Anyone who would vote for a paving project witht the way the economy is would get run out of town.
Maybe we should look at other options besides paving.
Not only will this Dorchester resident vote for the candidates who start the paving process of selected streets, I will "run out of town" any cave-dwelling loud mouth who tries to get in the way. I get a strong feeling that most of the people in this town agree. It isn't the 1970s anymore. Strong arm tactics of a vocal minority won't work this time. As one of the board members back then said, where else are you going to go? Wilber? Crete? Friend? Milford? Oh, wait they all paved streets. In other words they joined the 20th century. (I know, it's the 21st but don't tell that to the "I'll run you out of town" jabberbox above.)
ReplyDeleteWe need a quality of life in this town. The unbearable streets are the key reason we can't attract new housing, improved housing and former residents.
I wish we could all just get along, but I'm going to fight for my family's quality of life and the future of my town before I worry about making an enemy or two ... some things are just worth it. You can continue to say "no, no, no" and I'll continue to give you reasons why we should progress as a town. Let the chips fall where they may.
I have an idea for all of you that want paved streets. How about we worry about all of the water and sewer lines under the gravel roads that are old and in need of replacing first. It would not make to much since to pave over them and have to rip the streets up to replace busted lines under them in a few years now would it. The second thing is how and the hell do you plan on paying for it, Maybe when their digging up the water and sewer lines you people should go down and start digging for gold! You will need alot of it to.
ReplyDeleteHow did every other town around here from the Rio Grande to the Canadian border pay for their cement/asphalt roads?? For crying out loud, you'd think we're asking to build a beltway around town. Maybe it's too much to ask to have streets that are better than cynical richard's cow paths!
ReplyDeleteif anyone is concerned, the sewer and water system was updated a few years ago at a cost over 500,000. Did anyone forget this, and the electric sysem was updated a few years later for about the same cost
ReplyDeleteIf anyone thinks that pavement is the key to this town prospering, you are wrong. This town is a bedroom town for crete, milford, lincoln and friend.
There is no room for expanision. You have sewer plant to the south, feedlot to the west and prime farmground north and east.
forget about paving, the new members of the board will have thier hands tied by MONEY.
anonymous, you're so wrong, so pesimistic, so negative, so outdated. A bedroom town to friend or milford? ha, ha, ha, ha. Prime farm ground to the north and east? Lame arguement. i'd build there in a second if a developer decided to put middle class housing there.
ReplyDeleteTo the person talking about how the sewers were updated a few years ago . Did you see all the roads dug up to replace these lines, I sure did'nt they must have had miners replace them and did it all under the surface HA HA Ha get a clue they lines that were replace were very few and $500.000 woundn't do crap.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous (11/5, 9:15 am),
ReplyDeleteDo a little research buddy---you CAN update your sewer lines without digging up your roads.
I don't know what exactly was done (but some updating was done--that I do know), but before you go spouting off, maybe you should check your facts.
People like you love to bash the town board without having all the facts.
Well, now you have "new meat" to bash--have fun!
I love it...i have to agree with the last anonymous...........
ReplyDeletethe water lines are not down the middle of the road. They are located in the right of ways and most of the sewer lines are in the alley.
It always amazes me that these people who complain are so uneductated on what they are complaining about.
Just goes to show you.....the apple doesnt fall far from the tree
The last one makes since about the sewer lines in the alleys That must be why there are man hole covers in the middle of all the paved streets and talk about being uneducated.
ReplyDeleteDO YOU MEAN OUR SEWERS AND WATER LINES ARE SHARING HE SAME PIPE!!! SOMEBODY PLEASE EDUCATE ME.
ReplyDeleteE. COLI
to ecoli
ReplyDeletego to the village office and ask them to explain to you what is going on.
If more people would do that we wouldnt have half the town thinking crazy.
and no.......the water and sewer lines dont share the same lines
crazy