Liveblogging WCCA/WCRN election coverage

I'll be updating this post with details from the WCCA/WCRN joint election night coverage. If you have any comments, you can phone into WCRN, or post comments on this post. The hosts may read your comment on the air.

7--And we're live with Mauro DePasquale, Peter Blute, Scott Zoback, and Hank Stoltz.

7.02--Amazingly the WCRN link seems to be working.

7.05--Zoback thinks district 4 will be closer than ever.

7.10--Zoback--"I was legitimately worried about Gary Rosen's health today."

7.15--Kate Toomey comes in. They talk about her personal difficulties. She thanks her husband for his support.

7.20--Zoback is liveblogging w/his phone. Bravo.

7.25--Stoltz: Why is turnout so low? Z--Maybe because of people who are registered but have moved. Toomey is talking about tax stuff. Govt income has not been keeping up with inflation.

7.30--Blute likes all the good challengers this year. Toomey says in other parts of the country there is not so much standing-out. Toomey's husband "saved Mike Perotto's life" during a standout.

Toomey says nobody's in it for the glory. Hank points out that nobody wants to give it up.

7.35--The director is firing commands like a machine gun. The interns who are shooting this are getting a trial by fire.

7.40--Everybody gives shoutouts to the local blogosphere + the Dive Bar debate.

7.45--WCRN is figuring out how to cut in and out for commercials

7.50--After a break, Sam Rosario stops by. "The rain always helps the incumbent, because the true voters show up." If Rosen gets the most votes for CC but not mayor, Sam thinks we'll have a serious discussion about strong mayor.

8--Polls close. Zoback hits his mug like a bell.

8.01--More discussion about how a movement towards "strong mayor" would happen

8.05--Here's Palmieri, a district councilor running unopposed

8.06--Mayoral candidate Bill Coleman stops by the control room

8.07--Palmieri reports that the polling places he's visited have higher turnout than normal. Thinks these precincts would help Rosen & Bergman. Palmieri says no way we're getting strong mayor, and we don't need it. Says we need a lobbyist at the state level.

8.14--Zoback said WoMag got "a different copy" of the Germain papers a week before the story broke. They held onto their copy--he's vague about the reason. Palmieri thinks only 100 copies went out.

8.17--Rosario is complaining about how the press has covered this race & people's skeletons in the closet. Zoback details how the Germain story & whisper campaign started. Thinks Germain was "genius" for being so frank about it.

8.24--"Diamond Dave" Maciewski drops by the control room. Grace Ross is walking around somewhere. Scott Zoback is gone.

8.25--Bill Coleman joins the panel. He feels good and thinks a lot of people have switched their vote since the preliminary. "It's kinda been a Bill Coleman Nation kind of thing."

8.30--Channel 12 (govt channel) has some preliminary results.

8.36--Councilor Clancy is in the control room. People are scrutinizing the early tallies. Sam Rosario thinks we'll never have casinos in Worcester. They're reading the early tallies.

My internet dies.

They're reading the early tallies. Mayor is Lukes>Rushton>Rosen>Coleman. Hank predicts Clancy & Palmieri will win :)

Grace Ross is on.

9.23--Rosario thinks more people will get involved in local politics as a result of this highly-contested campaign.

9.24--They're saying Germain is now a City Councilor.

Nice words for the also-rans. The panel hopes to see more of them in the future.

9.26--Calling Eddy the winner.

9.29--Rosario: "Everybody who puts their name on the ballot is a winner."

9.34--Palmieri talks more about D4 race. Points out Lukes may be the first elected woman mayor. Some panelists dance around "the B word."

We take a break, I reset the internet.

9.45--Via Womag, Rushton is calling for a recount. Blute decries the local political machine.

Stoltz sez the mayor has her attorneys standing by in case of recount.

9.50--Lukes talks to the panel via the phone. She has a lead of only 77 votes! Blute: "In this situation it's probably better to be Konnie than to be Rushton."

Rosario explains that some absentee ballots are submitted with too many folds and will have to be hand-counted.

We're trying to get Rushton. WCRN is having trouble reaching him. Mauro points out the recount could effect the at-large race's #6 spot.

10.01--No luck w/Rushton. And we are out!