BENNETT OVERWHELMS BURKE FOR TOWN COUNCIL

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

November 6, 2012

Cape Charles Town Council candidate Steve Bennett was narrowly defeated for re-election in May, but he got a second chance in November — and this time his victory margin was huge.

The final total showed 355 votes for Bennett and 215 for newcomer Dan Burke.

Bennett more than doubled the 146 votes he received in May. Percentage-wise, his win was even bigger, with 62 percent of the vote. In May he received 18 percent of the vote.

Cape Charles has about 700 registered voters, of whom close to 70 percent turned out for today’s Presidential election.

Contrast that with last May, when little more than half as many voters came to the polls.

Today is believed to be the first time Cape Charles has held a town council election concurrent with a Presidential election.

The reason was the passing of councilman-elect Don Clarke in May. Today’s council election was to fill Clarke’s unexpired term.

Following Clarke’s passing, Town Council members chose Larry Veber to serve until a special election could be held.

Veber initially filed to run in the special election along with Bennett and Burke, but dropped out in mid-September.

In other local election results, Northampton County voters endorsed by a nearly 4 to 1 margin a proposal to elect members of the county school board rather than their being appointed by the County Board of Supervisors.

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In partisan elections, Democrats swept all three offices in Northampton County, although Republican incumbent Scott Rigell won overall to retain his 2nd Congressional seat.

For the Presidential ticket, Obama/Biden won 58 percent to Romney/Ryan’s 42 percent of Northampton County voters.

Democratic Senate candidate Tim Kaine had 59 percent to Republican George Allen’s 41 percent in the county.

And  2nd Congressional District Democratic challenger Paul Hirschbiel received 53 percent of Northampton County’s votes, while Republican incumbent Scott Rigell took 47 percent.

Both State constitutional amendments were resoundingly endorsed in the county: Four out of five voters favored limiting the practice of eminent domain (taking of private property) to public, not private, use.

Three out of four county voters also favored a proposed amendment giving the General Assembly up to a week to reconvene following a veto or amendment to a bill by the Governor.

In the only other ballot for Northampton County, Supervisor Larry LeMond was re-elected without opposition. LeMond represents District 2, which includes Cheriton.

The high turnout by Cape Charles voters clearly took election officials by surprise. Cape Charles voters received a bright pink-purple card to identify them as they waited in line to access the voting machines.

Only voters holding the special cards saw a fourth screen on the computer with the town election.

But with long lines forming at the four voting machines, election officials discovered to their dismay that not enough special Town cards had been printed.

A poll worker wielding a pair of scissors administered a quick fix: He simply took waiting voters’ cards, snipped them in half, and pocketed the stubs to give out to other voters.