By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC – Incumbent Councilman Darron Murray won his third four-year term and Lori Hunt retained the other First Ward Dowagiac City Council seat.
Unofficial returns from Tuesday's election showed Murray, 36, with 126 votes (57 percent) to 95 (43 percent) for Howard Hall, 46.
Hunt, 37, appointed to the council June 25 after Donna O'Konski's resignation, tallied 147 votes (64 percent) to 49 (22 percent) for Robert Mortimore, 75, and 23 (11 percent) for Junior Oliver, 64.
Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Comstock, uncontested in Second Ward for his sixth term, was named on 138 ballots.
There was also no opposition in Third Ward, where Dr. Charles Burling gained his second term since his Sept. 8, 2003, appointment by garnering 114 votes.
James Snow, city clerk since 1983, attained a new term without opposition on 480 votes.
The Nov. 6 ballot also contained two constable positions, McKinley Greer in First Ward (192) and Joe Bercini in Third Ward (112).
In other results, Cassopolis Public Schools voters for the second time this year rejected a bond proposal, with 63 percent (1,100 no to 636 yes votes) opposed to the 4.37-mill, $31 million request to renovate 30-year-old Ross Beatty High School and to erect a new K-8 building.
Voters denied a similar proposal by an almost 2-1 margin last May in the district, which has not passed a bond in 13 years.
Had the restructuring plan succeeded, Frank Squires and Sam Adams elementary schools and the Red Brick administrative offices would have been abandoned.
Cassopolis voters also recalled Village Council Trustee Tim Swenor by an unofficial 169 yes-159 no margin.
A 2005 recall opened the door to him being in office.
Another request where voters were in no mood to pay more taxes was in the Lake Michigan College district, where a 0.49-mill request lost.