Runoff in Huntsville mayor race

Tommy Battle needs to send heartfelt “thank you” notes to Jackie Reed and Michael Polemeni.  Reed and Polemeni were absolute jokes as candidates with no business running for mayor, but their paltry combined vote total of 2.24% was enough to force a runoff between incumbent Loretta Spencer and challenger Tommy Battle.

With 54 of 55 precincts reporting Spencer won 14,871 votes (49.52%) while Battle won 14,486 votes (48.24%) out of a total of 30,030 votes cast.  (I’ll update the numbers when all precincts are in.)

Spencer had to win in a runoff four years ago against Parker Griffith, although that general election featured three legitimate candidates.  She easily dispatched Griffith in that runoff.  However, I think this runoff presents a different dynamic.

With both candidates soaking up nearly all the votes there isn’t a significant chunk of existing voters for them to court.  Personally, I don’t think Spencer took Battle’s challenge terribly seriously.  She struck me as a candidate who was annoyed that she had to take time out of her busy schedule to convince voters she needs to keep her job.  Will the closely pitched race focus her attention more sharply on winning?  As for Battle, the close race should only whet his appetite and demonstrate that Spencer is vulnerable to educational (a.k.a. attack) ads that highlight some of the problems the city has recently faced.  Keep hitting her on the metro jail boondoggle and start pointing out the rising crime rates.

A quick look at the unofficial precinct level results revealed a stark contrast in which candidate won in which portion of the city.  Spencer won nearly all of the south and southeast Huntsville precincts, often by double digits.  Battle won in the north and west, also often by double digits.  Actually, my south Huntsville precinct was one of the few (if not the only one) to favor Battle.  Some examples:

• Ed White Middle School, 4800 Sparkman Dr. – Battle: 61%, Spencer 36%
• West Mastin Lake Middle School, 5308 Mastin Lake Rd. – Battle: 58%, Spencer: 39%
• Ridgecrest Elementary School, 3505 Cerro Vista St. – Battle: 62%, Spencer: 38%
• Willowbrook Baptist Church (2 precincts), 7625 Bailey Cove Rd – Battle: 42%, Spencer: 57%
• Huntsville Middle School, 817 Adams St. – Battle: 42%, Spencer: 57%
• Cove United Methodist Church, 366 Old Highway 431 – Battle: 42%, Spencer: 58%

What do the numbers mean?  Do they reflect a racial, economic, or geographic divide?  My guess is the latter two.  I can’t imagine that race played a factor in selecting between a white man and white woman.  As Huntsville has flourished there is no doubt that some of the poorer areas have not kept pace.  Schools languish.  Roads projects are few and slowly completed.  Crime is rising.

One of the key examples is the overpass progress on the Parkway, since it allows for a direct comparison.  The north Parkway overpass project, which serves the poorer northern part of the city, has sat virtually dormant for longer than I can remember.  Meanwhile, the south Parkway overpass, which serves the more affluent south, has progressed steadily, albeit slowly.  I believe that the northern project was initiated first and yet all that has been accomplished is the construction of the service roads.  In the south, overpass ramps are up and the beams for the overpasses themselves are in place.  Why is that?  Is it a city or state decision?  Either way it certainly appears like the more affluent portion of the city gets preferential treatment.  I bet that, and other such perceptions of favoritism, is behind Battle’s geographic support base.

The runoff election will take place on October 7th.