Norwich Power Brings Victory For Seibert and Mackinnon

Norwich Power Brings Victory For Seibert and Mackinnon

The voting power of Norwich again was too much for Republicans in the Windor-Orange-1 District as Democrats Ann Seibert and Bill Mackinnon swept to easy victories Tuesday, holding on to their seats in the legislature.

Republican Brian Kenyon of Royalton was the top vote getter in two of the four towns in the district—Royalton and Sharon—and Republican Lester Corwin finished second in Royalton.

However, substantial wins in Democratic Strafford combined with whopping 1000-vote pluralities in Norwich to bring victory to the two Democrats.

Final totals had Seibert with 2730 votes, Mackinnon with 2723, Kenyon with 1697, and Corwin with 1290. Kenyon ran ahead of Corwin in all four towns.

Mackinnon and Seibert will be representatives from the district for the fourth term in a row. In the other three elections, Mackinnon has been the top vote-getter, but this time Seibert topped the chart.

Mackinnon, who lives in Sharon, found himself in hot water this spring with both Republicans and Democrats, as he was the only Democrat to vote against the first draft of the civil unions bill.

Mackinnon thought then—and thinks now—that full marriage for gay couples is the correct option, but his protest vote against the civil unions bill angered many Democrats, because of the closeness of the vote. Mackinnon later agreed to vote for the final bill, calling it a "good first step."

Looking over the election returns yesterday, Mackinnon said that for many legislators, including himself, the vote for civil unions worked out fine, politically.

"I was wondering how it would play in Peoria," he joked, "and it played rather well."