Still mayor after all these years

31-year incumbent Raymond R. Halsey wins closest race in his career

ELECTRIC CITY — Mayor Raymond R. Halsey this week dashed the hopes of about 180 Electric City voters who sought change in government when he won another four years in office despite the best efforts of his competitor Bob Rupe.

Halsey, 79, who plans to retire after this term, has been mayor for 31 years and will continue in that position after garnering 186 votes to Rupe's 180 as of 5 p.m. Thursday. The difference will not trigger an automatic recount, and Rupe said he has no intention of paying for one.

Before this year, Halsey said he was only challenged twice in the general election and, "they really were no challenge at all."

"I new it would be an uphill battle," Rupe said. "It's hard to beat a 31-year veteran mayor.

"He's a real well liked guy in our town and I'm in that category, because I respect the man," Rupe said.

In the last 37 years (Halsey began with six years on the town council), he has never lost a race for public office.

In the next four years, Halsey said he plans to work on completing water system upgrades in Electric City, including the addition of a new reserve water tank and removal of arsenic from the water supply. He will also work to resolve the town's solid waste disposal problems by capping Delano Landfill, install a gas monitoring system at the site and then build a transfer station where trucks can start picking garbage up and hauling it to another landfill in Grant County.

If he had lost, he said he would have blamed it on his decision to allow neighboring Grand Coulee to hook up a water pipeline to the aquifer underneath Electric City. He believes his decision may not have been a popular one, but he stands by it.

"I think they (Grand Coulee residents) would have used the aquifer anyway," Halsey said. "We don't own what is underneath the ground."

Halsey said his choice to save money to build up reserves may have also contributed to the dissatisfaction of some.

He said that experience has shown him that any time money is saved in government, people want to take over and begin running things themselves, often with an entirely different set of priorities.

Still, he defends his decision to save money, and said, "We now have enough money to take care of the priorities without adding any additional cost to the constituents."

Halsey said he didn't campaign during this election or put any signs up, but said people should know where he stands on the issues by now. Win or lose, he said he would not have done things differently and if voters want change in an election, they will get it.

"It's the American way. Whatever the majority of people want," he said.

As for Rupe, the 67-year-old eight-year councilman said he plans to sell his business, Grand Coulee's Teepee Drive-in. He said he has had a successful 12 years, but wants to retire and do some traveling and fishing.

However, Rupe said, he wants to get back on the council and plans to run for mayor after Halsey retires.

"I'll still be available to help people with their problems and bring them before the council," he said. "I'll be their spokesman."