Lancaster elections - the aftermath

Obviously, we will have another bond election next May. I will likely be offering some of my suggestions for that in a Nov. 16 editorial. The TIGER PAC has offered its suggestions already.

Given the closeness of the election, and speaking of editorials, I don’t doubt that the Oct. 19 editorial in Lancaster Today may well have been decisive. I don’t gloat in that; I’m not dancing in the streets. It is what is.

The newspaper did (John Kerry? George Bush? ― TWO notable flip-floppers) first speak against, then speak for, the charter, and the charter passed; but, that was due to the beer and wine regulation language, during a beer-wine sales initiative election, not any magical powers of LT. We halfway or more recommended voting for beer and wine, and it failed. So, while the newspaper’s reach might be worth a few percentage points, it isn’t worth that much.

Arguably, our reach is a half a percentage point; in 2004 package beer-wine sales failed 57-43; this time, package beer-wine failed 56.5-43.5. We didn't offer a ringing endorsement on economic grounds, but gave some support on both economic and social libertarian reasons.

And that’s not just us. Newspaper trade journals regularly discuss in pre-election issues just how much, or how little, influence endorsement-type editorials have even when coming from major seven-day daily newspapers like The Dallas Morning News. The consensus of journalism analysts is that the influence level is not huge.

Anyway, I write all that as lead-up to the expectation that school district officials and downtown old-guard types are probably going to want to, or actually, throw me under the bus when they all read the results.

And that’s OK. I can live with that. You have to have, or develop, a fairly thick skin in my business. And it might be thicker than that of some other people.

Now, to any of you teachers/staff/paraprofessionals reading, and posting…

What’s the mood at your school, or at district admin, Wednesday, or Thursday? If you’re at an individual school, are you catching any angle on not just what the mood is at your campus, but what is getting passed down from the top?

And, if anybody hears anything from beer-wine backers, feel free to pass it on, too.