Amador County – The Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort made a 24-vote turnaround this week when Sutter Creek voters narrowly passed Measure N. The Amador County Election Department on Tuesday (June 15th) counted 119 more ballots, and Gold Rush Ranch won the tally of those ballots by a 71-47 margin. Measure N trailed by 8 votes and just under 1 percent after the election night count ended last Tuesday. This week “Yes On N” came back to take a win by a 1.24 percent margin, 657 votes to 641. The day began with backers from both sides of Measure N observing as the election department’s Debbie Smith verified signatures on provisional and absentee ballots. Protect Historic Sutter Creek members Bart Weatherly and Lottie Tone observed, along with Gold Rush partner Chris Norem and project attorney Richard Rios. The verifications tossed out 1 ballot, though the department also sought and received an opinion from Secretary of State Debra Bowen on one ballot, which ultimately she disallowed. Still, 119 of a possible 120 ballots were counted, leaving the final margin. Backers from both sides stood watching as Smith uploaded the ballot count data, revealing the outcome. Tone walked past TV crews from Sacramento’s channels 10 and 3, who had spent several hours awaiting the count. Norem emerged from the room and said: “We won by 16 votes,” but deferred further comment to Gold Rush Ranch Managing Partner Bill Bunce. Bunce said: “I would say we are celebrating. Any time you enjoy the support of the residents, it’s cause for celebrating.” He said “we are eminently grateful to the residents of town.” The vote must still be certified. Weatherly spoke to TV cameras, saying he was “very saddened by the outcome,” as he had “been working at this for 2 years.” He said developers claimed 80 percent of the community supported Gold Rush, but the vote showed less support. Weatherly said his campaign to stop Gold Rush “lost by 16 votes” and he wished “more people would have come out to vote.” The 119 counted votes brought the total turnout to just over 75 percent of registered voters. 1,298, of 1,725 registered voters cast ballots. Weather said he wanted the community to heal. Before the vote had said he was the most nervous he had ever been in his life. He thought Protect Historic Sutter Creek made a “hell of an impact” and “winning by less than 1 percent is no reason for any group to celebrate.” He was not sure what the group would do next. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010 06:11
Sutter Creek’s Gold Rush Measure N “Yes” Wins by 16-Vote Margin
Written by Tom-
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Amador County – The Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort made a 24-vote turnaround this week when Sutter Creek voters narrowly passed Measure N. The Amador County Election Department on Tuesday (June 15th) counted 119 more ballots, and Gold Rush Ranch won the tally of those ballots by a 71-47 margin. Measure N trailed by 8 votes and just under 1 percent after the election night count ended last Tuesday. This week “Yes On N” came back to take a win by a 1.24 percent margin, 657 votes to 641. The day began with backers from both sides of Measure N observing as the election department’s Debbie Smith verified signatures on provisional and absentee ballots. Protect Historic Sutter Creek members Bart Weatherly and Lottie Tone observed, along with Gold Rush partner Chris Norem and project attorney Richard Rios. The verifications tossed out 1 ballot, though the department also sought and received an opinion from Secretary of State Debra Bowen on one ballot, which ultimately she disallowed. Still, 119 of a possible 120 ballots were counted, leaving the final margin. Backers from both sides stood watching as Smith uploaded the ballot count data, revealing the outcome. Tone walked past TV crews from Sacramento’s channels 10 and 3, who had spent several hours awaiting the count. Norem emerged from the room and said: “We won by 16 votes,” but deferred further comment to Gold Rush Ranch Managing Partner Bill Bunce. Bunce said: “I would say we are celebrating. Any time you enjoy the support of the residents, it’s cause for celebrating.” He said “we are eminently grateful to the residents of town.” The vote must still be certified. Weatherly spoke to TV cameras, saying he was “very saddened by the outcome,” as he had “been working at this for 2 years.” He said developers claimed 80 percent of the community supported Gold Rush, but the vote showed less support. Weatherly said his campaign to stop Gold Rush “lost by 16 votes” and he wished “more people would have come out to vote.” The 119 counted votes brought the total turnout to just over 75 percent of registered voters. 1,298, of 1,725 registered voters cast ballots. Weather said he wanted the community to heal. Before the vote had said he was the most nervous he had ever been in his life. He thought Protect Historic Sutter Creek made a “hell of an impact” and “winning by less than 1 percent is no reason for any group to celebrate.” He was not sure what the group would do next. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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