Hoppe wins sixth ward seat in landslide
Published April 5, 2006
The results of the election for the sixth ward City Council seat were not even close Tuesday night, as environmental activist and attorney Barbara Hoppe took 73.19 percent of the vote.
Of the 80,078 voters in Boone County, 18,619 cast a ballot, a 23.25 percent voter turn out. Hoppe defeated local real estate agent Valerie Barnes for the seat, receiving 1,032 votes in the sixth ward to Barnes' 378.
"This is a great victory for citizens, and will be a great victory for Columbia," Hoppe said during her victory speech. She thanked the many volunteers who worked with her campaign, saying there were too many to list and that there were many people who had come to her asking what they could do to help.
Hoppe said the wide margin of victory likely was because her campaign issues connect with voters' vision for Columbia.
"The average Columbia resident is concerned about protecting the uniqueness of Columbia, positive growth, and protecting the environment," Hoppe said. "Things aren't planned right, and the citizens see that. You don't have to convince them, they live it."