Sandpoint getting new-look council

SANDPOINT — Voters eager for new perspectives on the City Council got their wish when the dust settled on Wednesday.

Challengers outshined incumbents when the final votes were tallied, with Marsha Ogilvie, Jamie Davis and Justin Schuck beating incumbents Michael Boge, Helen Newton and John O’Hara for four-year terms on the council.

Ogilvie ended the contest with 641 votes, followed by Davis and Schuck, who won 564 votes and 536 votes, respectively.

O’Hara trailed Schuck by a mere four votes, just enough to end his brief, three-month stint on the council. Longtime Councilman Michael Boge finished with 496 votes and Councilwoman Helen Newton finished with 451 votes.

The only incumbent to emerge from the election unscathed was John Reuter, a shoo-in for a two-year seat on the council. He ran unopposed and amassed 737 votes.

A special meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. today to canvass the election, which had a voter turnout of about 29 percent, according to Clerk Maree Peck. Tuesday’s victor’s take office early next year.

Ogilvie, who won the most votes for a candidate in a contested race, said she was excited by her decisive victory and grateful for the support she received at the polls.

Ogilvie believes her pledge to work collaboratively with colleagues on the council and department heads was one of the messages that resonated most with voters.

“That was an important issue for the community,” she said. “I think they just wanted a more cooperative atmosphere, people working together. I heard that from everybody I talked to.”

Ogilvie added that the name recognition she’s cultivated through Kinderhaven, Women Honoring Women and other efforts probably helped her candidacy, too.

Davis was not available for comment Wednesday and did not immediately return a message seeking her remarks on the election’s outcome.

Newton, a former city clerk who was elected to office in 2005, said she was a little surprised but not fazed by the race’s final result.

“Losing is not the end of the world,” said Newton. “I have no regrets and I thought I did a good job.”

The candidacies of Ogilvie, Davis, Schuck and O’Hara received an 11th-hour boost from Support Sandpoint, a political action committee which suddenly materialized. The group, chaired by Ponderay resident Jordan Hamad, produced door hangers which had a subtle anti-incumbent message.

Newton said she had no doubts Support Sandpoint was geared toward jamming up incumbents’ re-election bids.

Boge, a 14-year council veteran, was not immediately available comment on Wednesday.

Ogilvie said she appreciates the hard work her predecessors put forth during their respective terms on the council and is looking forward to learning the ropes of her new job.

“I’m excited to get started,” she said.