For the week of April 9 - 15, 2003

Barton re-elected as Bellevue mayor

Schofield, Allen, Ivie win City Council seats

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By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

Incumbent Bellevue Mayor John Barton was elected to a second two-year term in office Monday, earning a near-landslide victory over challenger Larry Plott.

In the election Monday, April 7, for three Bellevue City Council seats, incumbent Tammy Schofield was resoundingly voted in for a second term on the panel, along with candidates Eric Allen and Vivian Ivie. The three winning candidates secured relatively easy victories over Monte Brothwell, a former Bellevue mayor and City Council member, and longtime city resident Rob Mays.

A steady stream of voters showed up at Bellevue City Hall Monday afternoon to vote in the annual city election. By the close of the polls Monday at 8 p.m., 260 voters had cast ballots, more than 2.5 times the number who participated in the 2002 election. Election officers included, seated from right to left: Margaret Dudley, Laurie Tremble, Lillian Wright and Norma Wright. Express photo by Willy Cook

Dee Barton, Bellevue city clerk, said 260 voters cast ballots in the Monday election at Bellevue City Hall, or approximately 31 percent of the 843 registered voters in the city. The city had 1,876 residents in 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In a strong showing, Barton received 160 votes in the mayoral election, 62 percent of those cast, while Plott received 97 votes (38 percent).

"I look forward to moving ahead," Barton said. "I’m feeling pretty confident about the future of Bellevue city government over the next two years."

In the City Council election, Schofield received the strongest mandate from the electorate, gaining 199 votes. Allen received 158 votes, while Ivie earned the third open seat on the panel with 149 votes.

Brothwell gained 114 votes and Mays received 97 votes.

Retiring Councilman Wayne Douthit, who officially withdrew from the election on March 27, received one write-in vote for City Council.

Barton and the three elected council members will assume their new seats at the City Council meeting on Thursday, May 8.

All four of the winning candidates were elected to two-year terms in office.

The results from Monday’s election not only reflect broad voter approval of the Barton administration, but also for council candidates who have recently shown a tendency to agree with Barton on key matters.

Schofield and Allen in particular have shown interest in programs that actively seek changes to city policies and management practices.

Schofield has been a strong supporter of programs aimed at improving the city’s parks, infrastructure and public services.

Allen, who has been active on the Bellevue Public Library Board and the city’s Tree Committee, has expressed interest in monitoring the city’s water supply, growth, and vulnerability to noise from passing airplanes.

Ivie has previous experience as a member of the Bellevue City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission. In recent weeks, she said she wants to see the city focus on properly managing its budget.

The four seats up for election Monday were under consideration because the terms of Barton, Schofield, Douthit and Councilman Dale Shappee will expire at the end of the month.

Douthit originally accepted a nomination in late February to run for re-election, but withdrew his name from the ballot after four weeks. Shappee was nominated to run for another term on the council, but declined immediately to run for re-election.

Bellevue—Idaho’s only city governed by a charter—holds its city elections annually on the first Monday of April. As part of the process, council seats currently held by Parke Mitchell, Jon Wilkes and Jon Anderson will be up for election next year.

 

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