St. Louis Park's 2011 Election, By The Numbers

With Tuesday night's election behind us (recaps: , ), we figured it was a good time to look at some interesting trends and numbers that popped up:

Turnout About Average

Unofficial voter turnout as reported by the city was 12 percent Tuesday night. The average turnout during the past five local general elections is about 14 percent. Here are year-by-year figures:

• 2001: 25 percent
• 2003: 13 percent
• 2005: 13 percent
• 2007: 8 percent
• 2009: 10 percent

Winning Streaks Continue

Incumbent Mayor Jeff Jacobs, who ran unopposed this year, continued his long-standing presence on the council. He first became a council member in 1991 and became mayor in 1999. On the school board side, and each won for the third straight time—they've been on the board since 2004—while won for the second straight time.

Second Time is the Charm

Two of Tuesday night's first-time winners—councilman and board member —lost in their previous attempts at the respective positions. Hallfin lost to Phil Finkelstein in 2003; Tatalovich came in fifth place when there were four seats on the ballot in 2007.

Second Time is Not the Charm

Two people who failed to get elected Tuesday night—council challenger and board challenger —also lost in previous attempts at office. Johnston-Madison was beat by Anne Mavity in the Ward 2 race in 2009; Levine finished fourth when there were three open school board seats that same year.

Poll Pegs Winners, But Not Margins

We ran an unscientific before the election to see who residents supported in the council races, and Hallfin and Spano came out on top. However, the margins were a bit off—our poll had Hallfin winning by 11 percent and Spano by 50 percent; Hallfin ended up winning by 38 percent, while Spano won by 23 percent.