Well, folks, the 2019 Covington municipal election has come & gone and you might say that there was a surprise or two. My predictions missed the mark, though at least a couple of the races were really not that surprising.
Mayor
First off, let's look at the Mayor's race. Ronnie Johnston, honestly, never had a chance in this thing & I think deep down inside even he knew that. It just wasn't in the cards. A convergence of various events & issues - some of his own causing; some not - & the heated anger & vitriol that'd been directed at him for years was going to see to that, especially when you had somebody with the name recognition & previous experience with the city like Steve Horton.
Ronnie's a friend & I think a lot of him. He's certainly made some mistakes but all in all I think he did a pretty good job. I tip my hat to him for never giving up & putting himself out there. I now welcome him to the world of non-elected political activism and am interested & excited to see the next chapter for him & his lovely wife & family.
I'll be interested to see Steve Horton's 2nd campaign disclosure report. Really want to know how much he dropped on that billboard & how much over $19K he spent on this sucker. That's a lot of money for a race like this. It gives me pause.
Mayoral Results
Horton 60% / Johnston 34% / Threets 4% (approx 2% other/write-in/not recorded)
*for the record, I actually voted for Threets in this one. I'd gotten to know him a little. Unlike Horton, he immediately responded when I reached out to him. Hell, I like him. Of course, Ronnie's my friend & I had his sign in my yard - he had my support - but it was obvious he was going to lose anyway. I was hoping that the Minister might get at least 5%. He came fairly close...
Council East Ward, Post 2
As some of you may have noticed I really started hedging my bets on this one the last couple of weeks. Fleeta ran a hard, smart & effective campaign. You've got to - even if it's begrudgingly - tip your hat to the ole gal. She fought for it & she earned it.
Post 2 Results
Fleeta 54% / Plitt 45% (approx 1% other/write-in/not recorded)
Council East Ward, Post 3
A good man, Josh McKelvey, lost last night. And unfortunately, that's politics. Somebody's gotta win; somebody's got to lose. It's a damn bitter pill to have to swallow, though, when you see ignorance & lies carry the day. The egregious acts that several folks in the home city have recently committed will not be forgotten by this writer, nor likely forgiven anytime soon.
To Don T Floyd:
Always remember this, friend. And it might be in a couple of weeks, a couple of months, or a couple of years. Always remember that this is all ultimately your doing. That you signed up for what is coming your way. Feel free to reach out to Keith Ellis, Wm Thomas "Tommy" Craig, Esq.
As an aside, I've already spoken to two people (and the numbers show there are several others) that voted for Horton & Fleeta but were NOT supporting Floyd. It's my understanding that this wasn't necessarily part of the plan. The political strategy of the Horton slate was straight out of the Rountree/Landmark playbook (and I can't wait to see Horton's total bill to those Swampers...and isn't it ironic that these folks are talking about draining the "Covington Swamp" ... Jesus, take the wheel).
Yep, they were gonna hammer my good friend Josh McKelvey to lower overall support for Plitt & Johnston. And it worked. But remember, you play with fire & you can get burnt. And now you've got Don't for 4 years.
It's damn despicable, people, and just in case anyone is wondering - your semi-esteemed Editor is NOT IMPRESSED!
Post 3 Results
Don T 53% / Josh McKelvey 47%
******
In Closing, Covington, I'll leave it with this line:
Be Careful What You Wish For...
Your Friend,
MB McCart
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| For the Love of the Home City |
P.S. Look for Bess's "Memoirs of Surviving Children" this afternoon. Pieces from Perrin & Da coming later in the week. Lots of REAL Politick over the next few weeks. Thx for reading - MBM
