Harry
Hurley on the great victory brought by the people of Atlantic City
yesterday
The citizens of
Atlantic City have sent the Craig Callaway political organization an
unambiguous, loud and clear message.
Your time is up ...
your days of running slip-shod over the people of Atlantic City are over. This
is also a loud message and wake-up call to Bob Levy, the near invisible Mayor,
who is still closely aligned with the Craig Callaway political
organization.
The citizens of
Atlantic City voted down the Callaway candidates like Stephanie Davies-Khan by
an unprecedented 6 to 1 margin.
Not even 1500
messenger absentee ballot swing can win this election. It's over in Atlantic
City, the people have not only spoken ... They roared!
Top vote getter
George Crouch ... who won at the polls the past 2 years ... only to have his
election result reversed by messenger absentee ballots ... led the way with 1813
votes at the polls. Board Vice President John Dollard 1707 and Board President
RaShun Stewart won with 1648 votes.
Davies-Khan, a
prodigious taxpayer-paid cell phone user garnered just 309 votes, her 2 running
mates finished with 271 and 244 votes.
The Callaway
candidates not only lost big, they lost in every district of Atlantic
City.
When the Atlantic
City Board of Education reorganizes shortly, a new working majority has been
established by the people.
However, on K-8th
grade matters ... It is very likely that the Callaway-aligned Board Members
still have a potential 5-4 majority. This means that it will take one more
election cycle next year to fully eradicate the Craig Callaway influence on
this Board.
I must comment
about Atlantic County Clerk Ed McGettigan. He has been a simply outstanding
Clerk. The Craig Callaway political organization did not get away with many of
things that Mike Garvin allowed over the past 3-5 years. McGettigan has been an
honest broker. He has handled himself extremely well.
My congratulations
to the citizens of Atlantic City. You took an enormous step towards returning
both civility and sanity to your local public schools educational delivery
system.
Finally,
congratulations to Fred Nickles. He made it a point to stay away .. He was no
where near this process .. But, he did the right thing and publicly supported
the best 3 and most deserving candidates. Nickles has hung touch in
the face of much Craig Callaway-led adversity.
In the very near
future, Nickles will have a much more civil Board majority.
Don't forget
though ... the Craig Callaway-aligned board members will still do everything
within their shrinking power ... to disrupt the process at every
turn.