The Star Press from Muncie, Indiana • Page 5

The Star Press Wednesday, November 6, 1996 Page5A Munson returns to Statehouse Copenhaver loses in Henry County By RICK YENCER The Star Press State Rep. Bruce Munson liked the numbers he saw as another Republican precinct was posted on the tally board. "I was encour v' I aged by the turnout and results were what I expected," Munson said Munson held onto a lead Tuesday to win reelection to the Indiana House District 35 COPENHAVER SAUNDERS I ERRINGTON Errington, a Delaware County Council member, lost more than Tuesday's election. She also lost-her voice. "It's obvious the voters were satisfied with the job he was doing," Errington said about Munson's victory.

Errington started the day working the polls at Storer Elementary School where she voted Tuesday morning. Turnout there was heavy, and the vote was Republican. She acknowledged the Republican vote in westside Muncie helped beat here. "They stuck with their own," Errington said about westside Republicans. In recent weeks, Errington ran attack ads on radio, saying Munson had dodged paying excise taxes for years by using his family's auto-dealer license plates.

She also said Munson was soft on women's issues, failing to support a bill prohibiting employer discrimination against sexually harassed workers. "That is what a challenger has to do to bring attention to the incumbent's record," Errington said. Munson said the attacks were just recycled from elections in 1992 and '94, when he beat Muncie teacher Pat Eddy. Xi'' Jk seat Tuesday with 52 percent of the vote against Democratic challenger Sue Errington. Errington had 45 percent in final, unofficial returns.

Libertarian Colin Roney got 2.3 percent of the vote. Munson finished with 10,827 votes, and Errington had 9,493 votes. Munson won by 1,800 votes in 1994. "It was the auto excise tax and property tax reform," Munson said of his likely re-election. He also said heavy Republican turnout for Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Goldsmith in westside Muncie, also was a key to his victory.

Reps. Young, Liggett apparently re-elected By SETH SLABAUGH The Star Press The race for state representative in Indiana House district 54 was close enough for long enough on election night to make both candidates nervous. "We've supped a couple hundred votes behind," said New Castle attorney David Copenhaver, 46, the Democrat who occupied the legislative seat heading into the election. "I think we need a better lead," said Copenhaver's Republican opponent, Tom Saunders, 45, the Henry County Republican chairman and longtime Henry County assessor from Lewisville. It turns out he did have a good enough lead.

Final Henry County votes showed Saunders with 9,565 and Copenhaver with 8,844. However, results from the small areas of the district in Delaware and Wayne counties were not available. "Win or lose, I feel great," Saunders said. "I ran a good campaign and I'm pleased with the turnout." Copenhaver was elected last year by local precinct committeemen to replace Democratic Rep. Douglas Kinser of New Castle, who resigned.

Before the election, Saunders had said that "I feel I have more in common with the people in the district," adding, "I'm blue-collar is what they're telling me." In other East Central Indiana legislative races, Rep. Dean Young, R-Hartford City, held a comfortable lead over Democrat Nicholas 4 i Chochos, 36, a Marion real estate developer and former city council member. In two Grant County precincts, voters were mistakenly given the wrong ballot. About 300 voters who should have been voting in the Chochos-Young race actually voted in another legislative race. The mistake was corrected about 9 a.m.

on election day. Young, 41, an attorney, called the error an "unfortunate incident" that he didn't plan to "get bent out of shape" over. He said he captured about 65 percent of the vote in those two precincts 2 years ago. A former Blackford County prosecutor, Young was first elected to the Legislature in 1992. Also elected that year was state Rep.

Ronald Liggett, D-Redkey. Liggett, 51, a construction contractor, said Tuesday night that he appeared to be about 500 votes ahead of Republican opponent Sam Shoemaker in both Jay and Randolph counties. "So far I'm doing well," Liggett said. "I feel real good. I worked hard, and apparently I'm getting supported by the voters." Shoemaker, 58, Portland, is director of adult education for Jay County School Corp.

Kurt HostetlerThe Star Press WATCHING AND WAITING: Bruce Munson watches the precinct results come in at the Radisson Hotel Roberts. Adams takes House District 34 seat By DOUGLAS WALKER The Star Press Retired Muncie firefighter Tiny Adams Tuesday brought Indiana House District 34 back to the local Democratic Party. Adams defeated Republican incumbent James Vanleer by 389 votes to reclaim a district that was once considered a Democratic stronghold. Adams, the AFL-CIO community service liaison to the Voters give Reed a second term VANLEER Stephanie Dowell The Star Press CONGRATULATIONS: Tiny Adams (right) is congratulated by supporter Bobby Smith Tuesday night. School superintendent 67 percent of the vote Suellen Reed (R) 56 Ann England (D) 41 Steve Dasbach (L) 3 Attorney general 68 percent of the vote Jeff Modisett (D) 50 Stephen Carter (R) 50 United Way, becomes the district's fourth representative in as many elections.

Democrat Hurley Goodall was district 34's representative for 14 years beginning in 1979. Goodall, also a retired city firefighter, declined to seek an eighth term in 1992. Republican Fred Wenger won the seat in that year's election, upsetting Democrat Billy Linville. Wenger ran for a state senate seat in 1994, setting the stage for Delaware County and most of Hamilton Township. Vanleer awaited election returns Tuesday evening with other Republicans at the Radisson Hotel Roberts.

Adams was with supporters at Springwater Park. Neither candidate faced fellow Republican Vanleer's first campaign. Vanleer, a New Venture Gear employee, defeated Democrat Bill Elliott in the 1994 race by 969 votes. District 34 includes the eastern half of Muncie, southeastern opposition in the primary. The race remained close until votes from the final precincts were counted.

With 77 of the county's 99 precincts reporting, Vanleer led Adams by a single vote, 7,436 to 7,435. Ballot questions on victims, pensions OK'd Attorney general race still close with 53 percent of the vote in By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS INDIANAPOLIS Suellen Reed won a second term as state school superintendent Tuesday, holding on to the office Republicans have controlled since 1973. With 53 percent of the state's 5,468 precincts reporting, Reed had 546,429 votes, or 56 percent. Her Democratic opponent, Ann England, had 404,688 votes, or 41 percent Libertarian Steve Dasbach had 30,586 votes, or 3 percent. At mid-evening, returns showed the race for attorney general still close.

Democrat Jeff Modisett, the former Marion County prosecutor, had 511,248 votes, or 51 percent. Steve Carter, chief counsel for the Indiana Senate Republicans, had 488,631 votes, or 49 percent. Incumbent Pamela Carter, no relation to Steve Carter, did not run for re-election. Reed had name recognition as an incumbent and history on her side in the superintendent's race. Indiana voters have not elected a Democrat to the position since John J.

Loughlin won a 2-year term in 1970. Even Democrat Frank O'Bannon's victory in the governor's race couldn't hurt Reed. Though she made several Crime victim question 62 percent of the vote Yes 89 No 11 Retirement fund question 61 percent of the vote Yes 65 No (D) 35 appearances with GOP gubernatorial candidate Stephen Goldsmith, Reed did not tie her candidacy to him. England, a Richmond elementary school principal, had claimed the Department of Education had fallen out of touch with local communities under Reed. She supported O'Bannon's call for cutting the agency's budget by 40 percent.

Reed said it was too early to talk about any cuts, saying she and O'Bannon need to talk first. But Reed pointed out that she already had tried to streamline the education department, cutting staff from 421 positions to 280. The contest between Carter and Modisett turned ugly in the final weeks, with both candidates running negative attack ads. Carter accused Modisett of reaching a plea agreement that would have allowed a convicted cop killer free. Modisett says the man, Norman Woodford, is still serving a life sentence.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS INDIANAPOLIS While the presidential and gubernatorial elections received most of the splash, Indiana voters also took time Tuesday to approve two constitutional amendments. The first guarantees that crime victims have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. The other allows the state to invest public employee pension funds in stocks and other securities. With 47 percent of precincts reporting, the question on crime victims was sailing to passage with 89 percent support. It says crime victims have the right to be informed of and present during public hearings and confer "yes" on the question and 216,322 had voted "no." According to backers, Indiana and South Carolina are alone in prohibiting state pension funds from being invested in anything other than corporate or government bonds.

A report by the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute says Indiana's pension investment returns have lagged behind the average of other states by 2.5 percent annually, resulting in $1.5 billion in lost earnings. It also estimates that taxpayers would save an additional $43.2 billion over the next 30 years through diversified investments if the ballot question is approved. with prosecutors as long as it does not infringe on the rights of the accused. Similar amendments already are in place in 2 1 states. Earlier this month, Attorney General Pamela Carter and the father of California murder victim Polly Haas held a news conference to promote passage of the question.

Carter acknowledges that all states have statutes regarding victim's rights. In Indiana, victims are supposed to be informed of court proceedings and when an inmate is about to be released, among other things. Carter said the statutes were not uniformly imposed, but would become "fundamental law" as part of the constitution. The question on investing public employee pension funds in stocks and other securities, which had narrowly failed in 1986 and 1990, also appeared to pass easily. With 46 percent of precincts reporting, 413,936 voters had voted Democrats edge closer to control -v til! 4 1 3 Sw "I'm from a small town, and I wasn't good at math, but we need 50 to control.

looks like our cliances are good. Rep. John Gregg, a Sandborn Democrat P'-''fflii iiiiiiifyrylllfriiii -ft 'I I 4 I I By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS INDIANAPOLIS Indiana Democrats had two primary goals Tuesday: Elect Frank O'Bannon governor and win back the state House of Representatives. O'Bannon was declared the winner rather early in the evening, but Democrats had to wait late into the night to see if they had regained control of the House. Democrats lost a 55-45 majority in 1994, when a national GOP landslide helped Republicans take a 5644 advantage in the House.

In 1995, that slipped to a 5545 majority when Rep. Barbara Engle of Decatur switched parties. The Republicans weren't prepared to cede control of the House as election results trickled in late Tuesday night. "It's always been close, and it still is," said Rep. Paul Mannweil-er, an Indianapolis Republican who has been speaker of the House the last 2 years.

While Republicans appeared to retain a comfortable advantage in the Senate of 31-19, Democrats ago was Republican Sally Rideout Lambert's defeat of then-House Speaker Michael Phillips of Boon-ville. On Tuesday, district 74 voters returned a Democrat to the seat. With 68 percent of the precincts reporting, Russell Stilwell led Lambert 10,371 votes to 7,031. In Indianapolis, Democrat Edmund Mahern defeated freshman Rep. Irene Heffley 6,053 votes to 4,979 in district 97.

In 1994, Heffley had beaten Paul Cantwell by a mere 745 votes. Democrat John Day won in a rematch with Rep. Martha Wom-acks, who beat Day by just 151 votes in 1994 in District 100. With 50 of 51 precincts reporting, Day led Womacks 5,982 votes to 4,063. Meanwhile, switching parties did little good for Engle, the representative from Decatur, who trailed Republican Michael Ripley by more than 900 votes with 52 of 53 precincts reporting in District 79.

Republicans also held on to the seat vacated by Rep. Sam Turpin, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. i scrambled to reach a majority in the chamber across the Statehouse. "We're looking to get 50 or 51 seats," said Rep. John Gregg, a Sandborn Democrat who would likely become speaker of the House if his party builds a majority.

"I'm from a small town, and I wasn't good at math, but we need 50 to control. It looks like our chances are good." Because of a new law, the party that wins the governor's office would win the House speaker's position in the event of a 50-50 tie. That means they would have appointment powers to all House committees. Control of the House could hinge on two extremely close races in districts 34 and 46. Democrat R.

Tiny Adams beat Rep. James Vanleer of Muncie in a close race in district 34. It was even closer in district 46, where former Rep. Vern Tincher led Rep. David Lohr, R-Terre Haute, by just five votes with 83 percent of the precincts reporting.

Lohr beat Tincher by 126 votes 2 years ago. While watching the results come in, the O'Bannon camp was eager to have a friendly House. "That is key and crucial to any success we might have with our legislative program," said Tom New, O'Bannon's campaign manager. Democrats especially sought to retake those seats and others they lost in the Republican landslide of 1994. The biggest of the upsets 2 years 77 Associated Press POLL SITTER: Howard C.

Ward, a 72-year-old retired farmer, sits in front of shelves packed with goods at Carriss's Grocery and polling place in Southville, Ky..