Topic: 2008 Election

The District Attorney moved forward with a 2009 election investigation after a previous 2008 probe into the mayor and another councilman stalled due to manpower limitations. Although Russell Grant and Charles Roaches initially reached a plea deal involving Grant's resignation and probation, the District Attorney took the case to a grand jury last month. Both men were indicted after failing to follow the terms of their probation process.

The 2008 income tax repeal effort saw a higher raw vote total but a lower percentage due to record-breaking turnout for Barack Obama. The surge of approximately 500,000 additional Democratic voters, combined with a $7 million opposition ad campaign, prevented the initiative from reaching a majority.