 On The Line -- Issue 608 -- November 10, 2006  Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
|
|
On The Line -- Issue 608 -- November 10, 2006 Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
|
|
Residents of San Benito County awoke to blue skies and pleasant temperatures on Nov. 7 unlike many parts of the nation where rain and chilly air prevailed. However, fair or foul, most Americans looked forward to a day of high expectations or feared bad news.
It was Election Day, of course, and the prospect of setting the nation on a new course or protecting the old one led a higher-than-average turnout for the mid-term elections, fueled by such factors as Iran, terrorism and the economy. The thousands f precincts throughout the nation also had local issues to resolve and candidates for public office to select. Even as local residents were having breakfast, television and radio were full of speculation. County Clerk John R. Hodges and his election team had been preparing for the election for weeks. For Hodges, who was elected to his post in 1980, it also had a personal touch. He is retiring from office and his successor, Joe Paul Gonzalez, had no opponents in the primary election. Hodges had been a candidate for the county's Fourth Supervisorial District but was eliminated in the June primary when incumbent Reb Monaco and challenger Tracie Cone took first and second places, respectively. Hodges began his day with his brother, Dennis Hodges, who traditionally accompanies him, in Tres Pinos to check on the polling place there, set to accept voters from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. like others throughout California. He or members of his staff made calls at other polling places to see that everything was in readiness and later to see that the process was going well. Election nights include other members of the Hodges family, including son Michael Hodges, who checks all the computers involved and sends staff members to polling places when needed. John Hodges' younger daughter, Donna Ryder, was also there that evening, and so was Russ Jeffries, Michael Hodges' father-in-law, who helps run some of the behind-the-scenes processes to keep the operation generally smooth. Hodges' extended family, members of the courthouse staff, have become veterans of election nights. They include Lillian Perreira, Kim Hawk and Karen Breen, who accept last-minute votes right up until 8 p.m. Phyllis Lanini, Rita Leon and Maria Alfaro also were on hand to give aid to voters in accepting completed ballots or in accepting absentee ballots. Lupe Maldonado assists some voters who are more at home in Spanish than English. Cindy Silva and DeDe Valenzuela also fit their personal lives into the process with their families knowing that Mom is going to leave soon after dinner and won't be home until sometime after midnight, in some cases, very late after midnight. Sandra Avila and Dina Bies know the ropes well by now, and even though they are experienced in the process, they never grow blasé about it because each knows that a person's vote is his voice and they strive to make that voice heard. Joe Paul Gonzalez, Hodges' successor, has been well schooled in the process and was having his last full-dress rehearsal on Nov. 7, with the knowledge that he will be the man in charge at the next one. He acknowledged that he is grateful for the experience of the staff. At 8 p.m., with voting completed, Michael Hodges and staff opened the doors to their headquarters in the former Supervisors' chambers. Some veteran poll watchers were already on hand. Manuel Bettencourt and Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz showed up, the latter awaiting results for friend Ignacio Velasquez who was pitted against Anna Caballero in the 24th Assembly District race. David Huboi came in for a few minutes to see the first results. "Ravena's waiting for me in The Vault," he noted. "We're going to a few other places where candidates are awaiting the outcome." Marv Jones, a political activist, waited in the first row of seats because he wanted to be sure to get the first printout from the first precincts to be tabulated. Whenever a staff worker brings them in from the County Clerk's office many hands reach out for them. A familiar face not see up there in a long time was that of Dan Reyes, publisher of El Puente (the Bridge), the county's newest publication. Reyes is a former Free Lance reporter. He spotted an old colleague and they reminisced between returns. Anna Marie Dos Remedios, former Pinnacle editor, was on the cell phone to her friend, Tracie Cone, as the latter awaited results in the Fourth Supervisorial District. Jill Monaco, wife of Supervisor Reb Monaco, was there too with friends Richard and Linda Boomer and Phyllis Swallow. It has been said that no one can know the feelings of a candidate except a candidate but a spouse comes the closest. Then Tom Slavich came in pushing a dolly laden with boxes of ballots from a precinct and the onlookers made room for him as he delivered those to the crew staffing the room. They were taken back to the County Clerk's office for tallying. A few minutes later Monte Bryant came in with another dolly similarly laden, followed closely by James Sanchez. John Sarsfield and Doug Emerson arrived on the scene. They are veterans of the political arena but this time were viewing the race from the standpoint of voters only. As more print-outs were distributed, the excitement grew. Muted expressions of "Oh, boy!" were blended with others of "Damn!" as the tallies indicated the pulling ahead or falling behind of some aspirants. Tim and Nants Foley were on hand as they usually are on Election Night and got caught up in conversation with other observers. What one was seeing was grass-roots America. That is reflected even in metropolises because they are, after all, a series of neighborhoods. Hodges and staff members worked far into the night. The canvass was to begin the following day with final results expected eight or nine days after the actual voting. Some observers went home but others hurried to the homes or restaurants where the candidates were prepared to celebrate or to wonder where they went wrong. It hurts to lose, no matter how brave a face one may put upon it, but the smarting disappears in a few days or weeks. Many local office holders have known that feeling and a great number of them have gone on to field a victorious campaign in later years. |
 |
