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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3976597" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-fifty-three, “Election Results” , Tuesday, June 20th, 5:15 P.M. After spending the afternoon just walking around in the good weather, Chester and Clarisse go to City Hall to watch the vote counting. He says, "This is it, dear. This election will decide what direction this town goes in." Once the last voter has cast their ballots the Town Hall doors are propped open for anybody interested to come in and watch the ballot counting. People gather around as Judge Isby, Nate Caudell and Kevin Tomlinson sit down to count the ballots. The key to the padlock on the box with the ballots had been locked in the safe of the First National Bank and is given to the Judge by bank teller Shannon O’Hara who is accompanied by Bank Manger Paul Stevens. Kate and Conrad made their way into the Town Hall with the other onlookers. It was crowded before long, and she held his hand tightly as they watched and waited. She watched Shannon for a few moments, thinking about the trip to England she might have to make. Everything as changing so fast. They first count the number of ballots in the box, coming up with a total of 236, which matches the count on the list of eligible voters who had voted. They then go through and separate out all of the straight ticket ballots. This task takes until 5:30 PM and some of the audience begin to depart, having become impatient with waiting for the results. "No one promised that counting would be exciting," Kate said, shaking her head. They slid up a little closer as the crowd thinned. "Although I suppose the results will be the same whether I hear them now or later." The number of straight ticket ballots are just under half, with 113 of the 236 ballots cast. These are then totaled, the results being marked on a chalk board. When finished they total 45 for the Law and Order Party, 36 for the Freedom Party and 32 for the Unity Party. Clarisse clutches Chester's arm. "How could people vote for those crooks in the Freedom Party? Promise City would become like Sodom and Gomorrah." Chester replies, "The judge hasn't finished counting all the votes. Just wait. He hasn't counted the individual votes." Kate looked up at Conrad with real fear in her eyes. Still, she strove for optimism and said, "I hope that most of the more moderate people would not have voted a straight ticket and that we will do better now. I suppose the Law and Order supporters would be the most likely to vote a straight ticket." Conrad replies, "Well, I for one did not vote a straight ticket and I would be surprised if any members of Dorita's extended family did either with Mr. Fuente running as an independent." Kate says, "And Dorita's family is quite unusually large. I have more family now than I know what to do with. I didn't vote a straight ticket either. I suppose this part of the counting will take longer." The remaining 123 individual ballots are then counted for the office of Mayor. As the name on each ballot is called out it becomes clear that Fisk is a very distant third and that the vote between Condon and Shaw will be very close. As they near the bottom of the pile Shaw has pulled ahead although whether is is enough votes to counter the Law and Order Party’s straight ticket lead is uncertain. The final count is 59 individual ballots for Emery Shaw, 44 individual ballots for Frank Condon and 20 individual ballots for Hamilton Fisk. Combined with the other ballots that results in 56 total votes for Fisk, 89 total votes cast for Condon and 91 total votes cast for Shaw, so close that had one Shaw voter cast his or her ballot for Condon instead it would have been a tie, requiring a run-off election. Judge Isby declares Emery Shaw the winner. Chester lets out a breath. "Whew. That was too close for comfort. It would not have been good for me to have Frank Condon as mayor. We'd butt heads too much... If I win the election, that is." Clarisse hides a smile at his confidence. She says, "You'll win, I just know it. Then you can steer us to respectability." Kate released a profound sigh of relief. "He'll be so pleased. We couldn't have gotten anyone more passionate about making Promise City succeed." Conrad points across the room to where Shaw has lifted his niece Emily up into the air with a big hug and says, "He appears to be pleased." The individual ballots are the counted for the office of Town Marshal. Hank Hill gets the most with a total of 67 votes, followed by 45 for Chester Martin and 11 for Moss Johnson. Once the straight ticket votes are added in that raises Chester Martin’s total to 77 votes, beating Hill by 10, with Johnson at 56 votes and withdrawn candidate Prosper McCoy with the Freedom Party’s 36 straight-ticket votes. Judge Isby declares Chester Martin the winner. Chester yells, "Whoop!" and hugs Clarisse tightly. "I did it. I can't believe it. I'm going to find Hank Hill and Moss Johnson to thank them for a well-run campaign." Chester winds his way through the crowd, finding Hank Hill. "Hank, It was a close race. I hope we can work together in the future." Hank shakes his hand and replies, "If you're asking me to be one of your deputies then I accept. Chester says, "I am, Hank. Then it's settled. The Merchant's Association has the final say, but your strong showing in the election is a point in your favor. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm headed to the Drover's Hotel. See you around." Chester and Clarisse walk to the party. She says to him, "See? All that worry for nothing. I had faith in you." He says, "Thanks for that. Sometimes I wonder how many people only know me from what the Condons and Earl Hogan say about me." She says, "It doesn't matter Chet. Now they will all know you, as Town Marshall Chester Martin." Chester hugs her tight. "That they will. Let's go have some fun." Kate said very quietly to Conrad, "We were right, my dear. Those most likely to vote for the Unity Party also seemed to be most likely to vote individually rather than a party ticket. Chester will do an excellent job. He already does. And there won't be an interruption in the Marshall's office either." The individual Town Council ballots are then totaled. The nineteen candidates are listed alphabetically and the counts for the 123 ballots are as follows: 0 Evan Adair 42 Vera Blake 22 Morgan Condon 14 Zebediah Cook 11 Tector Driscoll 53 James Eaton 84 Manuel Escobar 68 Estaban Fuente 33 Vidkin Gerhardshon 6 Tim Gorch 42 Kate Higgins 34 Judge Lacey 79 Burton Lumley 10 Steve Lord 7 Calvin Oldfield 40 Jeremiah Peck 9 Joe Riser 44 Elihu Upton 16 Dennis Winston The straight ticket ballots are then totaled in for the following result 36 Evan Adair 74 Vera Blake 67 Morgan Condon 59 Zebediah Cook 47 Tector Driscoll 98 James Eaton 116 Manuel Escobar 68 Estaban Fuente 65 Vidkin Gerhardshon 42 Tim Gorch 78 Kate Higgins 66 Judge Lacey 79 Burton Lumley 46 Steve Lord 52Calvin Oldfield 40 Jeremiah Peck 41 Joe Riser 44 Elihu Upton 61 Dennis Winston The five top candidates in descending order are therefore Manuel Escobar, James Eaton, Burton Lumley, Kate Higgins and Vera Blake. Judge Isby declares them to be the Promise City Town Council. Kate comments, "All in all, it looks like the Unity Party did pretty well. And the council should represent a wide spectrum of people." Her eyes were serious but her lips smiled and she said, "I suppose I won't have to flee to another town. And you will get some sleep tonight.” She says, “I should go congratulate Emery. Would you like to come?" Conrad replies, "I suppose I should. If the rumors that I've been hearing are true he is a competitor for your affections." "You don't have any doubts about where my affections lie today, I hope?" she asked with a knowing smile. Conrad laughs and says, "I'm rather comfortable with the present knowledge of our relationship." The crowds break up into smaller groups, with people congratulating the seven winners and offer condolences to the losers. Kate sees Dorita Figures, Angela Huesca and Maria Fuente telling Estaban Fuente how sorry they are that he didn’t get in. He shrugs it off and says with a smile “I don’t feel bad about it, I didn’t have the benefit of a political party and still finished sixth among the nineteen candidates. I’ll run again two years from now and win at that time.” Al Brower and Pierre Jacquet are busy congratulating Emery Shaw when Brower’s facial expression drastically changes to one of shock followed by elation. He begins a swift sprint towards the door, drawing Emery, Kate and Pierre’s attention as they see Madge Duprey standing in the doorway. Al grabs her with such force that he almost knocks her over, then giving her a big bear hug and warm embrace on big kiss on the lips which she returns. Kate senses somebody coming up beside her and sees Chumbley standing there. He says to Kate, “I may not need to print that retraction now, most of the town is here watching this.” "If the lady doesn't object, I think there's a wedding in the near future. That's just idle speculation of course," Kate added. "Print the retraction anyway, as part of the story about Miss Duprey's return. I'm sure you'll be writing one. He's been so miserable since she left; it's good to see him happy again." Kate slipped her arm through Conrad's. "Be careful of assumptions, Mr. Chumbley. Although I do admit, assumptions can make for some nice surprises now and then." Kate now sees Manuel Gonzales enter the Town Hall. Kate smiled and pulled Conrad along with her as she crossed the room to Mr. Gonzales. "I see you've done your good deed for the day," she said when she reached him. He replies, “Yes, it is good to have another of my little birds back in the nest. Once Virgil Earp was gone and I confirmed through a magical scry that the Earps were all out of the Arizona Territory I felt it was safe enough to go to Belgium to get her. She welcomed the opportunity to return to the man she loves.” Kate says, "Thank the gods the Earps are gone. Seeing Virgil in the El Parador... But they're gone, Miss Dupree is home, and this little bird needs to get back to her lessons. Gonzales state, “And on the subject of little birds, I should probably do another scry to check on my Golden Eagle. When I checked a few days ago she and her friends were still buying out every store in New York City.” Kate says, “I'd like to know how Ruby is getting on. I got a letter and a gift from her a few days ago, but I didn't answer it since I didn't imagine she'd still be there by the time it arrived." Gonzales replies, "I'm sure that she is doing just fine, when have you ever known her to not enjoy shopping? Especially if somebody else is paying." Kate says, "It's a vice we share, I believe. I haven't been shopping nearly enough lately." Kate looked over her shoulder. "I really should go congratulate our new mayor, but since my escort is rather fatigued after his brother's visit, I think I'll come spend some time with you later, Grandfather." She kissed his cheek. "I'll see you in a little while." She and Conrad wove their way through the crowd, getting as close to Emery Shaw as they could through the crowd. Kate waved and tried to catch his eye. Shaw and his niece Emily make their way through the crowds and over to Kate. "Well Kate, it looks like we did it! It should be an interesting Town Council to work with members of all three political parties there plus an Independent. I think I will suggest Burton Lumley as the Chairman given his previous experience running the Merchant's Association." Emery's excitment was contagious and Kate's smile widened. "We did it? You did it. I stuck my nose in now an then and proceeded to pull it out before my association with it could prove detrimental. I think Burton Lumley would be a good choice, especially considering he was courted for the Unity Party. And as far as Law and Order candidates go, the Doctor will be the best to work with by far." Shaw replies, “Yes, and Kate Higgins is among the more reasonable of the other party too. I think this will work." Kate says, "Which really goes to show that we were right, you know. Most people don't want one extreme or the other. Those on the far ends are just the most vocal. You'll probably have a lot of wrangling, but you'll get things done. It's probably best to have a mix of people, when you have to compromise you'll probably come close to the right thing. You know, I've gotten used to sticking my nose in the town's business, it's going to be odd not to do that anymore." Shaw replies, "Well Kate, having a diverse array of people was what the Unity Party was all about. I for one am not displeased with the results, although you are right, having both Higgins and Eaton there might make for some lively discussions. Ah well, at least it won't get boring." "Life in Promise City is never boring, Emery. You have a lot of work ahead of you starting with a clean slate. No existing laws at all, it's going to be an enormous challenge. But I'm sure you're up for it. So, where's the celebration?" she asked. He says, "Vera had planned one at Drovers is any of our slate won. As we now have four of the seven positions I would say that is where we will head. I believe that Mrs. Higgins is planning a victory party at her establishment as well, and it wouldn't surprise me is Burton is at his." Kate says, "I just told Mr. Gonzales I'd come spend some time with him tonight, but I can't resist stopping over at the party if I'm welcome. Conrad, will you be obliged to go over to the Long Branch for a little while tonight?" He replies, "It probably won't hurt, after all, I did cost Mrs. Higgins $ 1,500 at the tournament." "What? I thought," Kate stopped. He told me he turned that down. They were there in front of Emery Shaw and it wasn't the time to mention the strings that money had supposedly come with. Conrad notices Kate's reaction and says, "I was surprised by that myself, Mr. Van Horne only informed me of that fact a few hours ago, letting me know that I had money in a bank account." He pulls her slightly away and says in a hushed voice "I assume it is a payoff to keep me quiet about Adair's plans. I'm thinking it best to just let it ride at this point." Kate says, "Why don't you go do that and you can meet me over at Drover's later. Just for a bit, I know you want to take advantage of your night off to get some rest." He says, "Very well, I will see you later." "Conrad," she said intently, looking in his eyes. "I'll see you in a little while. I'll be waiting for you." He kisses her and heads off. Kate notices Emery Shaw turn away, another disappointed look on his face. That quickly fades though as he approaches Manuel Escobar and the two give one another big hugs. Kate considered simply slipping away, but determined that Emery's fancy for her shouldn't stop them from being friends, especially when it was likely to disappear before long. Instead she gave the men a moment before she approached and offered her hand to the new councilman. "We're very lucky to have you." Manuel Escobar says, "Thank you Mrs. Kale. The first Town Council meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow after the swearing in. I believe that the Promise City schools are the second agenda item. I would be curious to know what you feel should be done?" She says, "There's an agenda already? You all do move fast." Kate turned more serious. "I'll admit, I'm not certain. Being a private school has given me a great deal of freedom. I have the ranch and other responsibilities as well, and with Mrs. O'Hara and Mrs. Caudell there I've been able to be flexible in my schedule. I've also been able to plan the curriculum and use methods without worrying about the requirements of the territory. But there should be a public school here. It's not truly fair for five men to be paying for the education of all the children in town. I imagine I would have to take the teacher's examinations and apply to teach in the public school. I might consider continuing to do some education in my home for tuition, either as a tutor or offering classes in subjects not covered in a public school. What thoughts have you had that might help enlighten me?" Escobar says, "The town should have a town-owned school building. Your school is much better arranged for that environment than the Town Hall building, however if every eligible school-aged child went there now it would be rather crowded, so we will need something bigger as the town expands. The town could purchase your building from you and perhaps enlarge the school into the other areas of the house, or add on more rooms to the ground floor. Another alternative would be to build a new building entirely, although I believe that an actual Fire Station will take priority before that given the recent fires in town." Kate says, "I would probably be willing to allow the town to purchase my building, but I'd either have to be paid enough for it to build a new home in town, or I'd have to move permanently out to the ranch." And if I'm in England for a month or more they would have time to renovate the lower floor. "Do you think the council would allow the public school to be run as we've been running our school? Our methods are different; the children don't sit silently all day memorizing things. We discuss the lessons, listen to what they think, and in the afternoons we give them individual time to study whatever they wish or anything they're struggling with. And if we three teachers couldn't all teach, I'd be glad to turn it over to Meghan and Mollie. I have the ranch for income, they do not." Escobar says, "The only elected council member who might have objected is Doctor Eaton, and his advertisement in last night's paper indicated that he supported the school. I'm not sure how sincere that comment was, he might have just been trying to put some distance between himself and the other two teachers at his former school, King and Shackelton." "No, he's sincere," Kate said, shaking her head and trying not to blush. "He's been given reason over the last couple weeks to rethink his positions on quite a few issues. It's what caused his move to a more moderate position, I believe." She might have to inform the town council about her condition for the same reasons she was going to have to inform the Committee for Racial Equality. Kate sighed. "I want whatever is best for the children, and I do think that is having them all educated together. One of our goals was to promote equality among the children, and that wouldn't be accomplished by having them separated by race or ability to pay tuition." He says, "I quite agree, and you can thank yourself for making that position possible"</blockquote>

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