Library Fails, Newcomers Win

The Haysville Times – April 9, 2004 – 11:59 AM
By Angie Gumm
Monday will mark a lot of new beginnings for Haysville: four new members will take their seats on the council, and the City will have to begin reconstructing its plans for the Historic District.
“I hope we survive,” said Tom Gibson, of the newly elected council. “The big challenge will be the learning curve for the number of new people on the council.”
Gibson, who defeated Scott Norton to win his spot, has had previous council experience, last serving in 2001.
Other newcomers to the bench are Keith Pierce, who beat Kee Claar in a tight race; Mitch Lindsay who beat out DeAnn Konkel for her Ward II seat; and Ken Hampton, who defeated Ward IV incumbent Phil Harris.
Gibson said he feels a lot of people who criticize the council are “Monday morning quarterbacks…not being there, they don’t know the whole picture.”
“The first couple of months will be hard on everybody,” he said. “We were hired to represent the whole group. Not anyone individual or group but make decisions for the whole community,” said Gibson. “I hope they keep patient and pull through.”
Ward II’s Steve Crum, who had no challenger on the ballot, was the only incumbent running who was re-elected.
A last minute write-in campaign for Preston Pannell, however, turned out to be a major challenge to the candidate. Pannell received 121 of the 280 votes cast for the Ward III position.
Pannell was surprised at the amount of support he got, because he only announced his write-in campaign in a letter to the editor and in an ad in last Friday’s Haysville Times.
“It shows that people are ready for change,” said Pannell, who intends to run again in the future.
Residents weren’t ready for a change in taxes though. The bond issue for the Haysville Community Library failed by 244 votes.
Marion Renner, who helped man the voting location at the HAC, noted that the turnout seemed “a lot busier” than past elections, she attributed that in-part to the library issue.
“We were happy with the large turnout,” said Library Assistant Norma Johnson. “The library is disappointed the bond didn’t pass, but we’re not giving up. It was just bad timing, there’s just lot going on in Haysville right now.”
Johnson noted that many bond issues fail the first time out, and the library is keeping its options open for the future.