Hosier wins mayoral race (11/5/03)

While the message he took to Portland voters may have been the same, the answer Bruce Hosier got back was not.

Hosier, making his third bid to become mayor of Portland after two previous unsuccessful attempts, broke through in a big way with a convincing victory Tuesday over former mayor Maxine Lewis.

One of Hosier’s campaign themes was change, and that theme also applied to two district council races in Portland, where Democrats Judy Aker and John Patterson defeated Republican incumbents Stephanie May and Robert McCreery in Districts 4 and 3.

Two other incumbents facing a challenge — Democrat Linda Kennedy and Republican Kip Robinette, who hold at-large seats — held onto those seats Tuesday.

Three other district incumbents — Republicans Bill Gibson (District 1), Glen Bryant (District 2) and Dolphus Stephens (District 5) ran unopposed Tuesday, as were incumbent Clerk-Treasurer Barbara Blackford, a Democrat, and Republican city court judge Michelle “Mickey” Pensinger.

Hosier, who had made emotional concession speeches to the party faithful after losing to Lewis in 1995 and current Mayor Jim Hedges in 1999, joked to his backers Tuesday night at the Jay Community Center, “We won. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say ... We’ve had tears of sadness ... tonight we’re going to have tears of joy.”

Hosier, a former Portland police officer and member of the city council, was emotional throughout the evening — nearly coming to tears when talking about the support of his family before the first results were announced.

“Be ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work. We’ve got a job to do for the citizens of Portland,” Hosier said to the 100 or so GOP backers gathered at the community center after his convincing victory was apparent. “I can promise you, I will never forget who I work for.”

Unlike the last two mayoral elections, which were close throughout, the tone was set early when the results of the first Portland precinct counted Tuesday evening — Wayne 1 — were announced.

A huge round of applause broke out and the tension relaxed considerably at the crowded and stuffy GOP headquarters when Hosier’s 202-86 margin in Wayne 1 was announced.

Hosier, sitting in the front row with wife Debra and daughters Lexie and Natalie, grinned and pumped his right fist into the air when he learned of the early lead.

The results from the next four precincts showed Hosier winning by even wider margins on his way to earning almost 73 percent of the votes cast for mayor (1,211 to 451).

The mood was understandably different at Democratic headquarters several hundred feet away along Meridian Street when the first results came in.

“That’s a sign,” said Lewis after the Wayne 1 results were announced. Lewis served a term and a half as mayor in the 1990s before choosing not to run for re-election in 1999.

Just after the final results were announced, Lewis walked from Democratic headquarters to the community center to personally congratulate Hosier, who lost to Lewis in 1995 by 32 votes after a recount.

“I want to thank all the people that voted for me. I wish Bruce the best,” Lewis said after talking to Hosier.

When the second and third precincts counted Tuesday saw Hosier win by similar margins, virtually all the tension at Republican headquarters was lifted, although he insisted on waiting until after the final results were announced to make a victory speech.

The mood at GOP headquarters was dampened when the results from city council Districts 3 and 4 were announced, as McCreery, who is ending his fourth term, and May, who is in her second term in office, were defeated by Democratic challengers Patterson and Aker.

Patterson, the manager at Pizza Hut in Portland, scored a convincing 175-101 win in the District 3 race over McCreery, while Aker, co-owner of a Portland plumbing business along with her husband, won by a 183-164 margin in District 4 over May.

“I am very excited. I want to thank all the people that voted for me,” Patterson said at Democratic headquarters. “I’m ready to go to work on Jan. 1.”

“I’m ecstatic,” Aker added. “Between Linda (Kennedy), John (Patterson) and I, we’ll make a really good team.”

The theme of change didn’t carry over into the at-large council races, as incumbents Kennedy and Robinette were the clear choice of voters in a field of four running for two spots.

Kennedy received the highest vote total with 954, followed by Robinette with 851 votes. Republican Jim Randall received 625 votes, while Democrat Mark Iliff got 620.

Hosier, remembering the disappointment of two previous defeats, said he consciously tried to avoid getting on an emotional roller coaster through the day Tuesday and into the evening.

He did admit he felt “comfortable” after the first three precincts were reported, but he said he wasn’t about to count on victory before it was official.

“Our agenda and our focus hasn’t really changed,” Hosier said after pressing the flesh with supporters and well-wishers. “I guess the city of Portland accepted our message.”

Hosier, who in pre-election interviews promised some changes in leadership positions if elected, declined to talk about specifics Tuesday night, saying he would be making announcements in the coming weeks prior to taking office on Jan. 1.

“Tonight, I just want to enjoy the victory,” Hosier said.

The turnout for the Portland general election was 41 percent overall, with 1,685 ballots cast among the 4,093 registered voters.

Wayne 1 had the highest turnout percentage-wise, at 45 percent (289 votes, 645 registered voters). Other totals, and percentages: Wayne 2 (322 votes, 799 voters, 32 percent); Wayne 4 (362 votes, 933 voters, 30 percent); Wayne 3 (282 votes, 696 voters, 41 percent); and Wayne 7 (430 votes, 997 voters, 43 percent).[[In-content Ad]]