storyhill.net, Nov. 13, 2006

Democrats sweep Story Hill; neighborhood voters reject marriage amendment, death penalty
Rest of the state occasionally disagrees

Nov. 13 -- Democrats swept Story Hill in Tuesday's election, and neighborhood voters said "no" to the marriage and death penalty referendums and "yes" to withdrawing troops from Iraq.

Democrat Jim Sullivan, in his successful, hotly-contested challenge to incumbent State Sen. Tom Reynolds (R-West Allis) took 66% of the votes cast in Ward 282, which includes Story Hill, and 56% of the votes cast in the Milwaukee portion of the 5th Senate District.

Sullivan is a Wauwatosa alderman.

His overall margin of victory was a slender 1.2 percentage points, according to preliminary returns. He won 50.6% of the 5th District vote, while Reynolds took 49.4%.

In a very different race that seemed to consist of a few mailings and not much else, Democratic incumbent State Rep. David Cullen won re-election, gaining 69.4% of the votes in Ward 282, 66.2% of the votes in the Milwaukee portion of Assembly District 13, and 64.7% of the votes district wide.

Cullen easily trounced Republican challenger Rick Baas.

The Story Hill area backed other successful candidates as well, including Gov. Jim Doyle, who won 62.5% of the ward 282 vote, 70.8% of the Milwaukee vote, and 52.8% of the statewide vote.

The city and the Story Hill area strongly backed Kathleen Falk, who apparently lost the race for attorney general to J.B. Van Hollen. Falk won 61.4% of the Story Hill area vote, 69.1% of the city vote, and 49.8% of the statewide vote. Falk has not ruled out seeking a recount.

The neighborhood, like the city, opposed reinstatement of the death penalty. Some 58% of Ward 282 voters voted "no" on the referendum, as did 54.7% of city voters. Statewide, however, 55.5% of voters favored the death penalty in some instances.

The Story Hill area broke with the city and the state by voting "no" on the marriage amendment. Some 59.6% of Ward 282 voters opposed the amendment, but only 46.6% of city voters did. Around the state, 59.4% of voters approved the same sex marriage ban.

On the Iraq withdrawal referendum, 69.7% of Ward 282 voters said "yes," as did 71.7% citywide.