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_V.oLSCLNg- 52
Shaun Sartin/Daily Nebraskan
With absentee ballots still left to be counted, Gov. Kay Orr says she is not willing to
concede defeat to challenger Ben Nelson.
Nelson, Orr race nears end
Both gubernatorial candidates avoid concession of win, loss
By Kris Karnopp
Staff Reporter
lthough the race for gover
nor of Nebraska is slowly
drawing to a close, neither
candidate will concede to a victory
or a defeat.
Democratic candidate Ben Nel
son said he feels he is “on the edge”
of becoming governor.
“The numbers look good at this
point,” Nelson said at a press
conference in Omaha on Wednes
day afternoon. Nelson was 4,658
votes ahead of Orr on Wednesday.
However, Republican Gov. Kay
Orr said the “campaign picture is
not clear enough yet.”
A somber Orr said she feels
‘‘entitled to wail for the absentee
ballot count,” even though a vic
tory for Nelson appears likely. About
10,000 absentee ballots arc out and
will be counted beginning today.
“I talked to Nelson earlier and
he understands the situation based
on his experience in the primary,”
Orr said during a Wednesday after
noon press conference at the State
Capitol.
Nelson won his party’s nomina
tion for governor by a narrow margin
of 42 votes.
“I know how to win a close
election, but I don’t want to repeat
whai happened in the primary,”
Nelson r>aid.
But once the results are known,
both candidates said they would
accept the outcome of the election.
“If the numbers don’t change,
Nelson has my full cooperation in
making a smooth transition as
governor,” Orr said.
Although Nelson doesn’t want
to act “too hastily,” he said, he is
beginning to look at forming a team
to case his transition into the gov
ernor’s office.
Nelson said he has contacted a
number of individuals to get back
ground information on forming a
transition team.
Education commission
draws mixed reactions
from regents, officials
By Adeana Leftin
Staff Reporter
The amendment to strengthen
the Nebraska Coordinating
Commission for Postsecondary
Education scored a victory Tuesday
night, but some members of the NU
Board of Regents weren’t celebrat
ing.
“It’s just adding another layer of
bureaucracy to something that was
already being done,” Regent Don
Fricke of Lincoln said Wednesday.
“They (the commission members) still
don’t have the power. They’re still
making recommendations to the
Legislature.”
Regent John Payne of Kearney
agreed and said the success of the
commission would depend on the 11
people who would be appointed by
the governor.
“It’s going to be extremely impor
tant that the appointed 11 men under
stand higher education,” he said.
The coordinating commission,
which currently is only an advisory
board, will have the power of budget
submission and program review for
public higher education in Nebraska.
The Nebraska Legislature will
develop implementing legislation to
specify the commission’s duties.
Other regents said that although
the amendment is not perfect, they
will strive to make it work.
Regent Rosemary Skrupa of Omaha
said she thought the commission would
be an “interesting thing.”
“I’ll be glad to work with whoever
the governor appoints,” Skrupa said.
“Let’s hope for the best. It could be a
very beneficial thing for the state.”
Regent Margaret Robinson of
Norfolk agreed.
, “Thai’s (the coordinating commis
sion) w hat the people want, and we ’re
going to do our best to make it work,”
she said.
Phil Gosch, president of the Asso
ciation of Students of the University
of Nebraska, said that although AS UN
had some reservations about the
commission, student leaders will try
to influence the definition of the
commission’s duties in the best inter
ests of students.
“It’s something we’ll work with,”
he said.
Some officials saw potential in the
commission.
James Griesen, vice chancellor for
student affairs, said a greater degree
of coordination was needed.
It ’s going to be ex
tremely important that
the appointed 11 men
understand higher
education.
Payne
NU regent
-tt -
subsequently passes legislation to pul
this commission into effect... there
is the potential for a great deal of
good for higher education in Ne
braska,” he said.
Eric Seacrest, chairman of the
Nebraska Coordinating Committee for
Postsecondary Education, said he
thought the new commission could
work well.
“It (the commission) has the po
tential to improve cost efficiency and
the quality of higher education in
Nebraska,” he said.
Bruce Stahl, the committee’s ex
ecutive director, agreed.
“There arc ways it can be very
positive ... but of course, there arc
other agendas,” he said.
“It should begin by focusing on the
students, not just today, but 10 years
from now,” Stahl said.
“Whatever the commission be
comes, it should become the state’s
advocate for students,” he said.
Incumbents stay, despite competitive issues
By Stacey McKenzie
Staff Reporter
Most legislative incumbents retained their
offices in Tuesday’s election despite
competitive races involving key leg
islative issues, said Bob Siltig, a political sci
ence professor at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln.
In Nebraska, nine of 11 incumbents seeking
re-election to the state Legislature were re
lumed to office and one race still was unde
cided.
Nationally, 96 percent of incumbents in the
House of Representatives were returned to
office. In the Senate, 31 of 32 members seeking
re-election will return to Washington.
But the trend didn’t overlap to executive
offices.
Kansans voted out incumbent Republican
Gov. Mike Hayden and elected Democrat Joan
Finney to office.
In Nebraska, by an unofficial margin of
4,658 votes, Democratic candidate Ben Nelson
appears to have unsealed Republican Gov. Kay
Orr. Nebraska’s incumbent state treasurer and
auditor also were unsealed.
Dawn Rockey defeated incumbent Frank
Marsh 62 percent to 32 percent for slate treas
urer and John Breslow unseated Ray A.C.
Johnson 68 percent to 32 percent for state
auditor.
Sillig said that in these two races the incum
bents were affected by charges of legal miscon
duct.
Marsh faces charges in Lancaster County
Court for alleged misuse of the state telephone
system and his slate credit card. He has pleaded
not guilty.
When the allegations against Marsh arose,
Breslow accused Johnson of looking the other
way and not auditing Marsh’s telephone rec
ords.
Sittig said ballot issues made the governor’s
race close.
Voters were concerned about the video lot
tery, the 2 percent lid and LB 1059, the school
refinancing bill, he said. These issues made the
race tougher for the candidates because they
couldn’t skirt around the issues.
“The governor’s race attracts more compe
tition and opposition because of the decisions
they make affecting taxation and the environ
ment,” he said. “The governor’s chair is a
political hot seat.”
But legislative incumbents can hold their
scats longer because they arc less visible than
governors to voters and receive less criticism.
See TREND on 2
O'Brien: Diverse campaigns create close race
By Anita Parker
Staff Reporter
Nancy O’Brien, candidate for the District
2 seal on the N U Board of Regents, was
“cautiously optimistic’’ Wednesday as
a pre-absentee vote count put her 294 votes
ahead of her opponent, Lee Sapp.
“Although the election is pretty up in the air,
I feel the voting trends will continue,”O’Brien
said.
O’Brien has 35,796 votes, while Sapp has
35,502.
The candidates’ different campaign ap
proachcs contributed to the close race, O’ Bricn
said.
“Sapp ran a name recognition race,” O’Brien
said. “He spent a lot of money to gain high
visibility."
The Omaha businessman spent about $50,(XX),
O’Brien said, to her $10,000.
“1 didn’t have as much money, so I spent my
time trying to get my qualifications out to
people," she said. “I used the grass-roots ap
proach.”
The Douglas County Election Commission
will continue to receive absentee ballots until
10 a.m. today, office manager Margaret Co
niglio said. About 3,(XX) absentee ballots could
be received, she said.
The ballots will be counted and the winner
of the race will be determined by about 4 p.m.,
but an official winner will not be declared until
canvassing is complete, she said.
The canvassing board will start checking to
make sure the number of ballots cast matches
the number of people who signed the books at
1 p.m., Coniglio said. The board has lOdaysto
complete canvassing.
Lee Sapp could not be reached for comment
Wednesday afternoon.
ASUN senator
takes her place
after long battle
By Jennifer O’Cilka
Senior Reporter
Division of Continuing Studies
student took her place on the stu
dent senate Wednesday after a
long battle to get there.
Sandra Haughton took her oath of
office to serve on the Association of
Students of the University of Nebraska
following her appointment and senate
approval.
. Last spring, Haughton was elected to
the seal, but could not serve because she
did not carry enough credit hours. Stu
dents voted this fall to allow continuing
studies students to carry only throe credit
hours to be eligible to serve on ASUN,
Other senators must carry 12 hours.
Haughton said she is glad the fight is
over.
“It’s goinc to be a lot easier to work
with it now, she said.
In other action, scnaiois approved
ASUN election rules. Last week, ASUN
defeated rules changes submitted by the
Electoral Commission. The commission
again looked at the rules and resubmitted
its changes to the senate.
Bart Vitek, Electoral Commission
director, said he thinks the commission
See ASUN on 2