Fifty-five percent of voters reject mill levy; Nelson, Carlson win seats

   Fifty-five percent of Libby voters on Tuesday rejected a mill-levy request that would have infused the cash-strapped school district with $350,000 annually.

   Preliminary tallies from the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder’s office calculated 2,133 persons cast ballots with 936 voting in favor of the mill levy and 1,149 voting against it. Of those total ballots, 48 did not cast a vote either in favor or against the mill levy.

  In the race for Libby School Board, incumbent Les Nelson retained his post, garnering 1,283 votes with John Carlson securing enough tallies to win the other seat with 1,112. Sarah Crace received 895 votes.

   Libby Superintendent K.W. Maki was at the Clerk’s Office on Tuesday night, and he took the mill-levy defeat with grace.

   “We’re disappointed that it turned out that way, but that’s the way it goes,” Maki said.

   The superintendent was encouraged by the closeness of the vote, considering the favorable vote at 45 percent was six percentage points higher than the failed $12 million bond issue in 2011. Voters two years ago rejected that bond issue 61 to 39 percent.

    “Elections are expensive. We don’t know that we can come back with this. Elections cost $8-, $9- or $10,000,” Maki said.

   An interesting fact about the election is 1,225 of the 2,133 ballots cast – or about 57 percent – were absentee ballots. Election officials began counting those absentee ballots at about 4 p.m. Tuesday.

    In Troy, election returns will not be available until Wednesday, according to Leigh Riggleman, of the Clerk’s Office. Troy voters were electing two board members from three candidates. The Troy School Administration is handling its own counting procedures.