Place 4: Morrison, Galindo Move to Run-Off
By Wells Dunbar, Fri., May 16, 2008
If election day's hot, muggy weather depressed spirits (or turnout), it certainly didn't hamper Laura Morrison's gathering at the Waterloo Ice House, where a raucous returns watching party quickly turned into a victory celebration. Early-voting numbers gave her a commanding total of 37% in the six-person field, and it held all night – ultimately swelling to 12,882 of Place 4's 33,398 total votes, ensuring her a spot in the June 14 run-off against second-place finisher Cid Galindo. About 10pm, News 8 Austin aired a live interview with Morrison, causing her supporters – among them members of Better Austin Today, Liveable City, and Save Our Springs' Bill Bunch (at one point spotted in close proximity to development attorney nonpareil Richard Suttle) – to vigorously scream and wave placards behind their candidate (almost recalling similar scenes at the county clerk's office in precomputer voting days). Someone yelled, "Cid said no to neighborhoods!" Taking the stage shortly thereafter, Morrison thanked her supporters and advisers (specifically Mark Yznaga, Jeff Smith, and David Butts) before addressing the campaign. "We got a lot of votes today," said Morrison. Noting the campaign had included "a lot of ups and downs," she nevertheless vowed, "We can do it for another month if we need to – and it looks like we need to!"
Galindo's gathering couldn't have been any more different from Morrison's capacity crowd. With attendance diminished by the late hour (around 10:20pm), only some 25 supporters milled around the fellow run-off winner's live/work space Downtown at Fourth and Brazos – members of Galindo's family, manicured Downtown types, and Austin Police Association Vice President Wuthipong "Tank" Tantaksinanukij among them. Still, Galindo gave an impassioned speech, previewing the themes he'll continue to work on this last month of campaigning. Calling his first run for office a "real learning experience," he said the results – 29% of the total, or 9,729 votes – were "great" considering he entered the race "without any political base to speak of." As for that closing message? "Cid Galindo is a candidate with a plan," he said, referring to his calls for a series of town centers along the SH 130 corridor. "Laura Morrison does not have a plan. ... That's the message we have five weeks to get out."
The mood was "cautiously optimistic" – but realistic – at Robin Cravey's gathering at Uncle Billy's Brew and Que earlier that evening. Trailing in early voting, Cravey's showing grew with election-day results, but not enough. He ultimately garnered 20%, or 6,825 votes. Asked what his post-race plans were, Cravey pointed to some literary projects he was working on, along with his day job: "I've got a law office I've gotta go back to."
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