Clearwater's turnout a little higher than usual

The new machines are nice, but the numbers Tuesday indicated that issues still attract voters.

Clearwater unveiled the touch screens to widespread raves and the county's second-lowest turnout among the six communities that elected mayors and commissioners. In the two races there, Frank Hibbard unseated incumbent Ed Hart and Commissioner Hoyt Hamilton defeated Patricia Bates-Smith.

Voter participation -- 18 percent -- was a little bit better than is typical for a city race with two commission seats and no mayoral race up for grabs.

Meanwhile, St. Pete Beach's electorate came out in force -- better than 37 percent -- to decide three commission races and two referendums.

Voters re-elected Mayor Ward Friszolowski and gave him an extra year in the job as a referendum extending the mayor's term of office also passed. They picked a new commissioner, Julie Christman, and sent incumbent Peter Blank and challenger Bill Allard to an April 2 runoff.

Voters also preserved a way of life: single-district voting. A charter amendment to elect commissioners by citywide balloting was defeated by a 3-to-2 margin.

In perhaps a last glitch for the outgoing voting method, a poll worker inadvertently locked the key to a ballot box inside the box used to transport punch cards to the Supervisor of Elections Office in Clearwater. That may have delayed the counting by 10 minutes.

Indian Rocks Beach also rejected change by huge margins in referendums that proposed the sale of city-owned waterfront and longer terms of office for commissioners. An incumbent who supported the property sale, Toby O'Brien, was turned out of office.

R.B. Johnson, the other incumbent in the race, and Jeremiah Carmody won commission seats.

In Safety Harbor, Mayor Pam Corbino and Commissioner Robin Borland were re-elected. Each got more than 70 percent of the vote.

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