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November 7, 1990 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 90 No. 51
Governor’s race down to the wire
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Nelson and running mate Maxine Moul raise their hands, confident of a win,
at the Lincoln Hilton Hotel Tuesday night.
Nelson in the lead;
refuses to declare
victory over Orr
By Jennifer O’Cilka
Senior Reporter
OMAHA — After Gov. Kay Orr went
home early Wednesday morning, chal
lenger Ben Ncison decided to stick it
out at campaign headquarters as incomplete
election returns showed him clinging to a slim
lead.
With 94 percent of precincts reporting,
Democrat Ncison led Republican Orr by about
5,(XX) votes alter 2 a.m. Both had 50 percent of
the vote, making a recount possible.
Although the outcome remained undecided,
spirits ran high at Nelson’s Peony Park head
quarters.
“Nobody seems to be that interested in leav
ing,” Ncison said.
Ncison supporters’ cheers echoed as he made
the announcement to slay on.
About 350 supporters had gathered earlier
to support Ncison in his close race. Although
the crowd dwindled during the evening, sev
eral supporters stayed on into the morning
hours.
With 92 percent of the returns in, Ncison
said things were looking good, but that the race
wasn’t over yet. He refused to declare a vic
tory.
‘‘Very honestly, you just can’t jump the
gun,” Ncison said.
Although the race was close at that point,
Ncison said he still would be com fonablc serv -
ing as governor without a stronger win.
“I look at a one-vole majority as a man
date,” he said. “If you don’t look at it that way”
you can’t be comfortable governing.
See NELSON on 8
Voters give teeth to commission
By Paul Domeier
Senior Reporter
Ccbraska voters gave some teeth
to the Nebraska Coordinating
Commission for Postsecondary
Education on Tuesday, voting to amend
the state constitution.
In early returns, the amendment
was supported by 58 percent of vot
ers, while 42 percent voted against it.
The next move belongs to the
Nebraska Legislature, said Don Blank,
chairman of the NU Board of Re
gents.
Amendment 4, placed on the bal
lot by the Legislature this spring, gives
the commission, which was only an
advisory body, the power of budget
submission and program review.
The Legislature must pass ena
bling legislation to give the commis
sion more specific duties.
“I’ve always been in favor of coor
dination,” Blank said, but he talked of
limitations the commission should
have.
Blank said the Legislature should
grant the commission power to coor
dinate the role and m ission statements
of Nebraska state colleges and uni
versities, to develop a statewide
comprehensive education plan and to
hclpavoidduplication among institu
tions. The only new power for the
comm ission would be to look at new
university programs before they arc
begun, he said.
“I don ’ t th ink the role of the Board
of Regents will be changed at all,”
Blank said.
The board had endorsed the amend
ment, but some members had ex
pressed reservations. Blank gave
qualified support to the measure
Tuesday.
‘‘As long as this commission docs
what it’s intended to do ... it will be
a very workable situation,” he said.
See COMMISSION on 6
JQQpfe
!
Coordinating
Commission
Against: 42%
Exon records thumbs-up victory
By Kris Karnopp
Staff Reporter
I
reclaiming his victory' with two
w* thumbs up, U.S. Sen. James
i" Exon said he hoped his re
election would “send signals to future
candidates that there is no chance of
winning in Nebraska with character
assassinations.”
“The size of the victory was be
| yond what anyone imagined,” Exon
said to a cheering audience of more
than 800 at the Lincoln Hilton after
early returns showed him leading
Republican challenger Hal Daub 60
percent to 40 percent.
Promising to tackle early the many
problems that face Nebraska in the
future," Exon said he and fellow
Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey need
the "advice, counsel, and help of all
Nebraskans.”
Throughout his victory speech,
Exon thanked his family and support
ers for their hard work in his cam
paign.
“It’s clear this lime that if we don l
have the best candidate, we have the
best supporters ” Exon said.
Exon’s speech closed with the
audience singing “Happy Birthday"
to his wife, Pat.
Mrs. Exon said her granddaughter
had asked her earlier what her birth -
day wish was.
“I want Grandpa to win tonight,”
she had replied to her granddaugh
ter’s question.
Before Exon arrived to give his
acceptance speech, campaign support
ers mingled as if they were at a family
reunion rather than at a political party.
Exon supporters were enthusiastic
about the large margin of victory.
Slate Sen. Don Wcscly of Lincoln
attributed part of Exon’s victory to
Daub’s invitation of former Texas
Sen. John Tower to support his cam
See EXON on 7
Early returns register
defeat of spending lid
By Jana Pedersen
Senior Editor
□ University of Nebraska
Lincoln student who helped
form a committee to defeat
the 2 percent spending limit initia
tive said he was ready to celebrate
Tuesday after early returns signaled
defeat for the measure.
“I don’t want to do a Dewey
beats Truman here,” Students
Against 2% Organizer Doug Ox Icy
said, referring to the 1948 presi
dential election , when early returns
falsely predicted Thomas Dewey
would defeat Harry S. Truman.
“But if this keeps up, I’ll be ex
tremely happy.’’
Early returns Tuesday night
showed 68 percent of Nebraska
voters defeating the 2 percent ini
tiative.
NU Board of Regents Chairman
Don B lank of McCook also said he
was happy with the projected de
feat of Initiative 405, which would
have placed 2 percent annual lim
ius on state and local spending in
creases.
“I was very much in opposition,
as was anyone who thought this
proposal through,” he said.
Although Lee Rupp, NU vice
president for relations, said he, loo,
was pleased with the prediction, he
said he was surprised by the wide
margin of defeat.
That margin, he said, was due in
part to university wide efforts.
“I’ve never seen such an effort
by the university community,” Rupp
said. “The ur;vcrsity recognized it
for what it was — very danger
ous.”
Oxley also said he was impressed
by the strength of university forces
against the measure.
“It really was encouraging,” he
said. .. I’ve heard some univer
sities called a hotbed of unrest.’
Our university \Cas called a hot
bed of rest,’ and I certainly believe
that was proven wrong.”
UNL Student Regent Phil Gosch
added praise to efforts to defeat the
measure.
“I think students can really punch
themselves in the arm on this one,”
he said.
Regent Nancy Hoch of Nebraska
See 2 PERCENT on 6