Early, unofficial voting results indicate that Tax Payers for Sensible Government (TPSG) attracted a solid majority of Brady voters in the May 11 City Elections. The fact that a record number of voters turned out to vote lends credibility to the outcome. Election results will not be official until the votes are canvassed sometime during the next couple of weeks. Here are the early results:

Early Vote count shows the following results:

Mayor Recall - 571 For; 226 Against

Council Races:
Jack Turk (unopposed) - 198 votes

Latricia Doyal (winner) - 400 votes
Gabe Moreno - 328 Votes
Tony Groves - 37 votes

For evening Council Meetings 500+; Against unknown

Against Changing EDC to Type "B" - 506; For 253

Prop 1 - 316 for; against 467
Prop 2 - 287 for: against 499
Prop 3 - 253 for; against ??
Prop 4 - 315 for; against 455
Prop 5 - 206 for; against 561
Prop 6 - 340 for; against 438
Prop 7 - 686 for; against 84
Prop 8 - 644 for; against 132
Prop 9 - 541 for; against 166
Prop 10 - 311 for; against 468
Prop 11 - 273 for; against 491
Prop 12 - 278 for; against 491
Prop 13 - 709 for; against 69
Prop 14 - 653 for; against 114
Prop 15 - 285 for; against 483
Prop 16 - 248 for; against 510
Prop 17 - 180 for; against 23
Prop 18 - 486 for; against 18
Prop 19 - 260 for; against 504
Prop 20 - 669 for; against 87
prop 21 - 287 for; against 475
Prop 22 - 669 for; against 89
Prop 23 - 711 for; against 57
Prop 24 - 387 for; against 272
Prop 25 - 191 for; against 26
Prop 26 - 481 for; against 17
Prop 27 - 567 for; against 209

These are NOT official vote counts. They are preliminary counts relayed verbally at the end of a long day. Corrections will certainly follow until the votes are officially canvassed.

The century old feudal customs of "business as usual" in Brady are nearing an end. Some will celebrate and some will declare it a disaster, depending on whether they were part of the old ruling class or not. All should recognize it as a turning point in the history of Brady. The transition to 21^st century American democracy will not be easy or problem-free.

Success will depend on the honesty and diligence of new council members and a new Mayor. Even more important will be community support. If the new council is honest and open with the people, that support is likely to develop. If they try to operate in secret, it won't .

There are many, many problems that have been ignored for decades. A budget and balance sheet encumbered by spending commitments and debt from past extravagant, frivolous projects will make solving them very difficult.

Brady collects less than $2 million per year in Property and Sales tax. That will not support a $20 million annual budget. That is the situation facing Brady. There is no easy solution.