The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 8

'A8 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1994 alls to challenger backed by businesses Bayliff i Democrats predicted Rep. Dennis H. Heeke would win despite running neck and neck with his challenger. in the Indiana House, compared to the Democrats' 55. In what was expected to be a close race, House incumbent Dennis H.

Heeke, D-Dubois, was comfortably ahead of challenger Thomas Birk, a Jasper attorney. With 88 percent of the precincts counted, Heeke led Birk with 60 percent of the vote. Baron Hill, top aide to House Speaker Michael K. Phillips, D-Boonville, was confident Heeke would prevail, although the race initially was close. "Dennis is going to win," Hill said.

"He's going to win by 1,000 (or) 1,200 votes." Rep. James L. Bottorff, D-Jef-fersonville, also faced a challenge that drew some attention this year. Bottorff, however, appeared to be fending it off. Bottorff's primary opponent was Peggy Wilder, a city council-woman in Jeffersonville.

Along with the handful of serious challenges to incumbents, there was primary action this year in a number of open legislative seats. Seven House seats and one Senate seat were vacated this year by incumbents who either opted to retire or seek other jobs from the voters. too close to call northwest Indiana. only incumbent lawmaker to go down. However, Sen.

Rose Ann An-tich, D-Merrillville, was in a nip-and-tuck race with Democratic challenger Mark S. Oprisko. "I thought she could be defeated with hard work," Oprisko said as he waited for the final tally. In the Bayliff defeat. Buck enjoyed the endorsement of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, which he said carried great weight in the district.

"This is the largest pro-business district in the state of Indiana," Buck said. "Brad's voting record has only been 38 percent with business." With all precincts counted, unofficial results showed Buck won with 58 percent of the vote. Bayliff, who could not be reached for comment, conceded defeat shortly after 9 p.m. House Minority Leader Paul S. Mannweiler.

R-lndianapolis, spoke to Bayliff and said he attributed his loss in part to a hard-hitting direct-mail campaign in the last week before the primary. Republicans now hold 45 seats Voting results are for incumbent from By Nancy J. Winkley and Barb Albert STAR STAFF WRITERS A conservative challenger defeated state Rep. Brad Bayliff, R-Russiaville, Tuesday thanks to the backing of the business community and a tough stance on crime. Jim Buck, a tool and die maker for Delco Electronics Corp.

in Ko-komo, won with the support of several former GOP lawmakers who helped him drive home Bay-liffs moderate bent. "I think the key issues are that Jim Buck is tough on crime and supports the death penalty for violent offenders," said Barney Shayne, Buck's Howard County campaign coordinator. The death penalty has certainly been on the minds of voters in Hamilton County, one of several counties in District 38 and the scene of a grisly triple murder in Carmel in March. "They perceive Brad as being soft on crime," Buck said. Buck appeared to have swept all the counties In the district.

As of midnight, Bayliff was the close to call. It's been a tough, tough race:" Oprisko, a planner for Bethlehem Steel said he had much support in his campaign from the Portage City Council members and Portage Mayor Sam Maletta. In Marion County, there were no surprises, as slated legislative candidates were comfortably ahead in four districts with a majority of the precincts reporting. In three of those, the incumbents weren't running. In House District 89, former representative Lawrence L.

Buell, who had been squeezed out of his seat by statewide redistricting, defeated Stanley C. Boyer and Ronnie W. Romans. Buell will face Indianapolis Public Schools social studies teacher Thomas J. Feeney in the fall.

In District 94, the slated Democrat, Mark Reasoner, 39, operations manager at Rollins Dedicated Carriage Service, easily defeated his opponent, Robert Destefano, 31, a bodyguard. The winner will face Candy Morris, 37, a day-care home owner, who was unopposed in the Republican primary. Slated Republican candidate Michael B. Murphy. 37, director of Son-in-law wins chance to succeed Ohio's Metzenbaum -it.

If- ra nr fit i 1 ijY i -A iV' 1 fir 4 1 I i I ft 2 Brad Bayliff, who had been the state representative for District 38 for eight years, conceded defeat Of the 25 seats up in the Senate this year, only six incumbents faced primary opponents. And only Antich, a radio personality and psychic, appeared to be in trouble. Antich was slightly behind Oprisko, a Portage city councilman. State Democratic Party officials said close to midnight that Oprisko was ahead by about 20 votes with three or four precincts left in Lake County. Antich, who had a car accident about three weeks ago and hurt her back, said she couldn't campaign door-to-door, but her workers did so throughout the district.

Democratic Senate leadership had worried the first-time senator could be defeated in the northwest Indiana district, which includes parts of Lake and Porter counties. "It's very close," Oprisko, 38, said late Tuesday night. "It's too i Associated Press Leach and Larry Lutz in Madison. i -v ft "1 1 Defeated (21 of 26 precincts) Yes 3,389 38 No 5,492 62 Star Staff Graphic eyes downstream to Crawford and Harrjson counties. The Indiana General Assembly approved riverboat gambling last June, allowing 11 boats for the state; with five for Lake Michigan, five on the Ohio River and one for Patoka Lake.

The seven-member Indiana Gaming Commission will decide which casino will operate each boat. I A1 1 external affairs of the Associated Group, won easily over Fredrick N. Rhea in District 90. In District 100. Martha A.

Wo-macks, personnel director for Marion County and the slated Republican candidate, said with only a few precincts remaining she was confident of victory against her opponent. Paul D. Swinford. She will face 20-year veteran. Rep.

John J. Day, in the fall, who ran unopposed in the primary. "It will be a grass-roots kind of campaign. I'll give it my best shot," she said. J.

Murray Clark, an attorney, faced no opposition in Senate District 29. Former Sen. William L. Soards decided not to run after he was not slated by the county Republican Party. Clark will face Democrat Gale P.

Jontz, who also ran unopposed. Associated Press BAD MONEY: Dr. Bernadine Healy raised $2.1 million, doubling her opponent, but only got 32 percent of the vote. In the three-way race In Mann's Cincinnati district, the incumbent had 21,215 votes, or 50 percent, to Bowen's 20,464, or 48 percent, with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Republican Steve Chabot was unopposed.

The race was one of two nationwide the other one is in Mississippi on June 7 in which organized labor tried to mount competitive primary challenges to House Democrats who broke ranks with unions on NAFTA. The Ohio AFL-CIO sent out a mailing accusing Mann of "betrayal" and got Jesse Jackson to make a campaign appearance for Bowen on Sunday. In the Democratic primary for a state Senate seat, former Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich defeated Irene DeGrandis and Dale Miller in his fifth try for a comeback. Kucinich, who led Cleveland when the city went Into default in 1978, had 16.775 votes, or 48 percent, with 72 percent of precincts reporting. In the race to succeed Metzenbaum, Healy attacked votes DeWine cast as a congressman from 1983 to 1990, depicting him as a tax-and-spend Republican posing as a fiscal conservative.

DeWlne called the notion "absurd," and accused Healy of negative campaigning. Hyatt blamed Boyle for ongoing problems in Cuyahoga County government. Boyle, a mother of four, argued in TV commercials that the Senate needs "more moms" than "millionaire lawyers." The North Carolina congressional races were being held while a three-judge panel deliberates whether the congressional districts drawn in 1992 were gerrymandered to favor black voters in two districts. Any decision is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which could leave the 1994 elections intact, but require new districts for the 1996 elections.

i 7 I ft- ANTI-CASINO CRUSADERS: Kathy Jones, left, chats with riverboat gambling opponents Janis Jefferson County voters defeated a proposal for floating casinos Tuesday. By Beth Grace ASSOCIATED PRESS Columbus, Ohio Joel Hyatt, founder of a chain of legal clinics, won the Democratic nomination Tuesday to succeed his father-in-law, retiring Sen. Howard Metzenbaum. He narrowly defeated a female county executive who had said the Senate needs "more moms." Cuyahoga County Commissioner Mary Boyle conceded defeat when unofficial results showed the race too close to call. "You know I'm a runner." Boyle told supporters at a union hall in downtown Cleveland.

"You can run a good race, even though you aren't the first one to the finish line." Lt. Gov. Michael DeWlne easily won the GOP nomination for the three-term senator's seat, defeating former National Institutes of Health director Bernadine Healy. And in a congressional race that drew unusual attention. Democratic Rep.

David Mann edged state Sen. William Bowen In his bid for nomination to a second term. Mann had angered labor by voting for the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Ohio Senate race was being closely watched as one of a handful that could imperil the Democrats' majority in Washington this fall. Democrats hold a 56-44 edge in the Senate but are defending 22 of the 35 seats up for election.

Also in Ohio, state Sen. Rob Burch won the Democratic nomination to challenge popular first-term Republican Gov. George Voinovlch. Three of 12 House seats in North Carolina were up for grabs because of retiring incumbents: Democrats Tim Valentine and Steve Neal and Republican Alex McMillan. Neal is stepping down after 20 years in Congress, Valentine after 12, and McMillan, 10.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting in the Ohio Senate race, Joel Hyatt had 420,166 votes, or 46 percent, to Cuyahoga County Commissioner Mary Boyle's 400,877 votes, or 44 percent. Columbus businessman Ralph Ap-plegate was trailing. In a four-way race on the Republican side, DeWlne had 416,519 votes, or 52 percent, to 257,092, or 32 percent, for Healy. who raised more than $2.1 million, nearly double what DeWine collected. Republicans have not won a Senate seat from Ohio since 1970.

"We knew all along we'd be outspent. We also knew all along we would not be outworked," DeWine said. Pre-election polls had put DeWine ahead in the GOP Senate race while Hyatt and Boyle were within a few points of each other. In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Burch defeated Lyndon LaRouche supporter Peter Schuller. Burch had 396,206 votes, or 59 percent, to 278,357.

votes, or 41 percent, with 98 percent of the vote in. efferson County rejects river casinos Downstream in Harrison and Crawford counties, voters approve proposals for riverboat gambling. Riverboat votes Jefferson County voters reject riverboat gambling while similar measures appear to be winning in Harrison and Crawford counties. si hi-I -rnrrn 'a i i i- 1 i-i ii Winning (7 of 17 precincts) Yes 1,686 61 No 1,059 39 (31 of 34 Yes No Winning precincts) 5,167 51 4,899 49 Johnston said. And Johnston knows what it's like to lose; Last November, his casino was hoping to operate a boat in Floyd County, but voters there and in Clark rejected river-boats.

At a pro-casino political action committee's headquarters in Madison, Ken Johnson answered the phone in a glum voice. He conceded his group's loss when only a bit more than half of the vote was in. "1 looks like a solid defeat to me," said Johnson, treasurer of People Renewing the River's Promise Political Action Committee. Johnson also is director of community and government affairs with Madison Landing Associates, a San Franclsco-based company that's been eyeing the county and historic Madison since July. Counties that defeat the riverboat referendum can hold another election in two years.

Riverboat opponent Getz hopes that won't happen in Jefferson County, where the riverboat issue was extremely divisive. If final tallies show Harrison and Crawford counties approving boats, they will compete against four other Ohio River Counties for five boats that have been allotted for Indiana river counties. Last November. Dearborn, phlo, Swit- By Jenny Labalme STAR S1AFF WRITER Longtime Jefferson County anti-riverboat organizer Tim Getz and his group of supporters got their wish Tuesday. And they celebrated their victory in a unique way.

they had a candlelight march to Madison's riverfront. "We're going to march to the river to reclaim it," said Getz, co-chairman of the Citizens Concerned Against Riverboat Gambling. "We're taking our river back." With 21 of 26 precincts reporting Tuesday, "no" riverboat votes outdistanced "yes" votes 61 percent to 39 percent. In Harrison County, with results in from 31 of 34 precincts, 5 1 percent voted for floating casinos and 49 percent against. Results from Crawford County, with seven of 17 precincts reporting, indicated riverboat supporters won with 61 percent of the vote to 39 percent opposed.

From his Chicago office, John Johnston president of Mount Albany Casinos was declaring victory in the Harrison County vote. "This county will cash in on something those other counties (Floyd fand Clark) failed to do," Source: Associated Press zerland and Vanderburgh counties all said yes to floating casinos. Also giving casinos the thumbs up last November were the cities of Hammond and East Chicago, as well as LaPorte County. In addition to Floyd and Clark, Porter and Warrick county voters also said no to riverboats last year. When Floyd and Clark counties which are across from Louisville, Ky.

rejected riverboats, casino developers tinned their Check put ItkitchLigg mum.