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By John Burkhart September 28. 2014 12:01AM Is Ashland taking over Jackson County elections? The recent library district election showed Jackson County supported the Libraries For All (LFA) by a large margin, 53.4 percent to 46.6 percent, a difference of almost 7 points. The vote count was 33,852 for and 29,554 against, a significant margin of 4,298 votes. However, a closer look at the vote by precinct shows a much different picture. The vote in the city of Ashland was 7,482 votes for and 1,879 against, a margin of 5,603 votes. Remember, the LFA only passed by 4,298 votes. The city of Ashland voters passed the library levy with their yes votes overriding the no votes of the rest of Jackson County. When you add in Talent and Talent and Ashland rural, the votes tallies are even more astonishing. These votes total 10,689 for and 3,388 against, a difference of 7,301 votes. If you remove Ashland and Talent from the vote count, the LFA measure would have been defeated handily by 3,003 votes. The precinct vote was 23 precincts for and 30 precincts against. The LFA campaign, accordingly to the Mail Tribune, was managed by a group led by a former mayor of Ashland who is writing a book on how to win elections. They employed strategies including, first, an appealing and inaccurate name, Libraries For All, and targeting a specific group of voters who had already passed a tax levy for library services for their district and got a large positive turnout. Countywide, the yes vote was 53 percent, while in Ashland the yes vote was 80 percent. If you remove Ashland and Talent, the countywide yes vote was 47 percent with the no votes being 53 percent, almost the complete opposite of the election. You have to give them credit; they ran a very successful campaign. The presidential Electoral College was always somewhat of a mystery to me, but this is a stunning example of where one pocket of voters carried the election. The LFA (Ashland) campaigned that they would not levy the full 60 cents authorized by this election with the levy being around the 40-cent mark, but then they realized they would not receive tax revenue until five months after the start of the fiscal year and would need 17 months of financing. Didn't anybody think about that? What a shock! The LFA (Ashland) was planning to levy the full 60 cents until publicity caused them to rethink their position and only levy 52 cents. That is 12 cents and 30 percent greater than LFA campaigned on. Did they ever think about borrowing the required funds and build up the reserve gradually, like working people do? Does the current Library Board have any understanding of how to manage a library? One board member is concerned that Jackson County is going to make interest on the library tax revenue. Has she checked the interest rates lately? Now the real kicker. The library board is going to reward their supporters by giving Ashland, Phoenix and White City extra hours at the expense of the rest of the county. First they are not truthful about the tax levy and then they reward their supporters at the expense of the rest of Jackson County. Should not library services be standard countywide? Why does one group receive extra benefits? To the victors go the spoils. Did you vote for these people? This Ashland lead group also aided several other successful campaigns this past election.  Beware, Jackson County residents, Ashland and friends are trying to take over Jackson County politics. John Burkhart lives in Talent. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20140928/OPINION/140929755 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->