Off the I-15

Been biting your nails all day, waiting to find out who the next mayor of Barstow is or who will sit on the City Council? Wondering how Measure D did?

Check it yall: http://www.sbcounty.gov/rovelectionresults/

Aaron Aupperlee | city editor

I was proud of myself for getting out of the office before yesterday (Nov. 4) turned into today (Nov. 5). But now it is back to work. People need newspapers after elections too.

I wasn’t the only one heading back to work today.

Richard Villegas, a candidate for City Council, had to go to work late last night while the votes were still being counted. BTdubs, the votes are still being counted. Tim Saenz, another Council candidate, had to head up to Sacramento for work today, and Marvin Ellis was going to be up bright and early to get out to Fort Irwin for work. All said they would be going to be early and seeing what the results would be today.

We know how is running the country for the next few years but we still don’t know who will be running the city. The mayor race flip-flopped overnight and Willie Hailey edged in front of Carmen Hernandez for the top spots in the Council race. That race is so ridiculously close I am not even going to try to call it.

Aaron Aupperlee | city editor

In the spirit of layering and numbers boxes, I present:

8 | Cups of coffee I brewed this morning before leaving for work

3 | Pieces of pizza I ate (also add one chocolate dunker from Pizza Hut)

78 | Miles put on my car driving around to polling stations

2 | Red lights I ran, on accident, while trying to make it back to the paper before the 9 p.m. deadline

9 | Blogs posted, two from my iPhone.

58 | Seconds of edited video shot at the Mojave Valley Democratic Club headquarters after Obama was declared the winner

1 | Glasses of champagne offered and refused by me during the night

So it’s 11:19. I’m going to try and make it home before it is tomorrow.

Good night yall.

Aaron Aupperlee | city editor

I met the Lobato children last Halloween and ran into them again outside of the Seventh Day Adventist Church polling station.

Austin, who is 7 and in second grade, told me that all of Cameron Elementary School voted today by placing little bears in different boxes. Barack Obama won, he said. Austin was happy because he voted for Obama. He said he read Obama likes basketball, chili and Harry Potter books, all things he likes.

His sister, Allyson, 5 and in kindergarten, also voted for Obama because he likes chili. But their other sister, Danalynn, 6 and in first grade, went the other way, voting for John McCain. She said she voted for him because he fought in a war for us.

The Lobato children thought they had the election pretty figured out. After their grandmother, Katrina Waggoner, voted, the kids guessed that she voted for McCain. Why? Because she is old.

Aaron Aupperlee | City Editor

Supporters of Measure D spent Tuesday braving the elements outside polling location.

Within their legal rights – for the most part – fire fighters and police officers, off-duty and out of uniform, checked voter roles to see if their supporters had shown up. Fire Chief Darrell Jauss was also conducting some informal exit polling of his own.

Jauss guaged support based on the number of people who drove by his RV parked 100 feet away from the polling location and smiled, waved, gave a thumbs up or sneered. He said based on his polling, never more than three out of 10 people sneered, leaving Jauss to believe Measure D would pass.

With three of 16 precincts reporting, the yes folks lead the Measure D race, but not by the two-thirds majority they need.

Aaron Aupperlee | city editor