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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels November 3, 2004 Our View The will of the city clearly stated for coming years This was more than an election win. It was much more than a mandate. The Ashland City Council elections of 2004 was a decisive victory of how its residents want the direction of this city to go. In the simplest terms, the so-called "power-elite" got crushed. Run out of town on a rail. Neutered. Labels aren't always very accurate, but they are effective. The city council race was not really about Ds vs. Rs or liberals vs. conservatives. It was not even business vs. environment. It was all of that, but perhaps the biggest factor was affluence vs. the middle and lower classes. The business owners and investors, vs. the working class. As Lenin once said, "Workers of the world unite, all you have to lose is your chains." Unite they did. Newly-elected mayor-to-be John Morrison now knows exactly what our city residents want. They want an open process, they want environmental protection, they want a determined commitment to public schools, they want affordable housing over luxury housing, thus, they want a highly controlled approach to development and growth. There is no doubt about that. Just look at the city elections. Entering the race, Morrison was a lock and the vote proved that. He ran as an acceptable candidate, indeed the only one, to both sides. After that it got really interesting. Incumbent Cate Hartzell was like the deer in the old Far Side cartoon with a target drawn on his belly. "Bummer of a birthmark Hal," his friend says to him. Hartzell was targeted with a determined and coordinated effort to defeat her. She was also backed by an equally determined and passionate effort to ensure her voice remains on the council for sometime to come. The vote became in many ways a microcosm of the power struggle that puts a constant tug on the center of Ashland. Tonight, there was no denying who pulled who over. Hartzell soundly defeated Planning Commissioner Mike Morris in the area's signature race. Russ Silbiger, an outspoken critic of city council and the powers that be, also defeated a former member of the planning commission, Tom Giordano. Finally, the icing on the cake, Jack Hardesty destroyed long-time councilor Don Laws to give the greenies a clean sweep. The vote is in, and there is no need for a recount here. Morrison, Hartzell, Hardesty and Silbiger, along with likely support from Councilor Kate Jackson, form a solid consensus that will greatly shape future decisions. Mayor Alan DeBoer's Ashland was summarily tossed overboard. Mayor-elect John Morrison's is likely to sail in some wildly different seas. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams