Twenty-two precincts of voters were able to cast a ballot for or against the Marietta City Schools bond issue and tax levy this month, but the measure passed in only four.
It was the downtown Marietta districts that seemed to support the issue, which would have funded the construction of new schools and the $48 million local share of a $78 million project.
Marietta's 2A, 2B, 3B and 4C precincts, all downtown, supported the levy while it failed in other areas including Reno, Norwood, Harmar, Harmar Hill, Oak Grove, North Hills and Devola.
"To me, this says this is done," said Paul Abicht, 52, of Reno. "It wasn't a close race, where if they had just 10 more votes or even 100 more votes if would have passed. This truly was not wanted by the voters."
When results were made final last week, there were 3,174 votes for the bond issue and 4,382 against it, meaning nearly 58 percent of voters said "no."
In the precincts that passed the issue, the vote counts were 249 votes for and 168 against in Marietta 2A, which includes Front, Putnam, Wooster and Butler streets, and 225 for and 174 against in Marietta 2B, which includes parts of Fifth and Sixth streets in downtown and extends to include Glendale Road and the surrounding neighborhoods.
In Marietta 3B, near the Washington County Fairgrounds, the issue passed by only one vote, 177 to 176, while in Marietta 4C, also downtown, the issue passed by five votes, 102 to 97.
The issue was most heavily defeated in Marietta East A in Devola and the Fearing precinct, which is comprised of the Stanleyville area.
Only 29.8 percent of the voters in that area voted yes and only 23.3 percent voted yes in Marietta East A.
"It was the times," said Devola resident Cheryl Miller, 39. "The job market is bad, people feel insecure or they're already struggling...it was not the time to pass a 37-year bond issue. I think people voted with their wallets."
Many voters agreed but some said it was the construction plan they most objected to. The partially-state funded project would have included a new elementary school for all district students, a new high school and a middle school created by the renovation of the current high school. All the buildings would have been located off Colegate Drive.
"I think it would have been a traffic nightmare," said Colegate Drive resident John Reynolds. "And I didn't care for the idea of having big schools for everyone. I wasn't a supporter."
