Countywide school enhancement millage fails
A proposal to increase Washtenaw County voters taxes by 2-mills to deliver additional money to local school districts has failed.
"The message of responsible spending resonated with voters," said Albert Berriz, who gave more than $75,000 of his company's money to fight the additional tax.
Wyckham Seelig, right, shows fellow anti-school millage supporters Ted Annis, left, Seth Bechtel, center left, and Kathy Griswold, center right, the latest results from the millage vote at the Quarter Bistro restaurant in Ann Arbor Tuesday night.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
"I think the voters have held our school board and school administrators accountable for what they do and how they spend money."
Around 12:30 a.m., Steve Norton, the campaign manager for the Ann Arbor citizen's group pushing the millage, all but conceded the race.
"I think it's extremely unlikely that it will pass," he said. "We knew it was going to be difficult to begin with. It's hard to ask people in these times to make sacrifices, even if it was a reasonable sacrifice."
Christine Stead, center, is surrounded by fellow pro-school millage supporters as she tries to get the latest election results on her laptop Tuesday night at the Ann Arbor City Club.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
"We knew it was going to be a difficult thing to ask for in this time, but we felt that we had to ask the voters to help fund their schools."
Ann Arbor school district spokeswoman Liz Margolis declined, by e-mail, a request for comment Tuesday night. Wednesday morning she said Superintendent Todd Roberts would comment today on the election
Washtenaw Intermediate Superintendent Bill Miller was unable to be reached for comment.
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