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Jeff Cagle, Owatonna People’s Press

OWATONNA - Royal Staver rarely goes out of his way to display homemade signs on election day.

Wednesday, however, was the exception.

So Staver made some signs urging people to reject the $128.5 million Owatonna school bond referendum, which he displayed on South Elm near two separate polling places. One sign called the school board unethical and another compared the board to "the big dog that will poop" on people if the referendum passes.

"This is a rare exception because I think it's asinine," he said, taking a break from hanging out at the appropriate amount of feet from the Community Center at the Steele County Fairgrounds, his precinct. "It's just like pouring money down the drain - at least that's the way I feel about it."

Election judges around Owatonna said voter turnout on Wednesday was steady, and they expected it to be busier once people got off of work. Before noon at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, voter turnout was near 280.

"I think for a nonpolitical election, this is going to be a pretty good turnout," said Paul Harty, one of the election judges. "A lot of interest in (the bond referendum)."

At the combined polling place inside the Four Seasons Centre just around 11:15 a.m., election judge Jeff Boss said it reached about 440.

"Excellent turnout," he said, " and it will continue I'm sure. It's a big issue."

The $128.5 million bond referendum included construction of a new high school, a new elementary school, an addition for fifth grade at Willow Creek Intermediate School and health and safety renovations in each building in the district.

Knowing voter turnout would be heavy, Staver began holding up his signs and encouraging people to vote no early Wednesday morning. He took a break in the afternoon to vote and stay inside before returning to a friend's place later in the day.

He had hoped to go to other polling places Wednesday to do the same operation and had encouraged friends and others with a stance against the bond referendum to follow suit.

Instead, Staver was the only person to go through with it.

"Got quite a few thumbs up and only one thumb down," he said. "One guy said, 'You're doing a good job.'"

Nick Allard, a senior at Owatonna High School, said he didn't know how the vote would turnout.

"I hear a lot of people say they'd like a new high school," he said. "But traditionally, Owatonna has been pretty conservative."

For his first time voting, Allard said he voted against the bond referendum because he sees the current school as sufficient.

"If it wasn't good enough (for us), why should we be able to give it to someone else," he said.

Across town at Associated Church, Richard Gasner voted against the bond referendum, saying it would affect a lot of senior citizens in town on fixed incomes. He predicted the vote would be close and that turnout was key.

"People shouldn't be living beyond their noses," he said.

But Kathryn Leon, a mother of four children, voted in favor of the bond referendum. She's unsure if it'll pass but remained optimistic it would pass.

"It's going to bring out a lot of people," she said, as she was leaving Associated Church.

Jeff Cagle can be reached at 444-2378.

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