Pundit of the Year

Congratulations to Mike Swaim. I break down the results in this video:

Let me know what size t-shirt you want, Mike!

Well this was a very interesting year. No-one in the survey predicted Jim Ward coming first (by 7 votes!), so we have no absolute victor. In fact as a group, the averages of our predictions were off base in a few places. I guess that goes to show, that we should do more thinking for ourselves, or get out into other neighborhoods more (as I think Fred told us last time).

Where did the hive mind get it right? Collectively, we predicted the correct results for all the mayoral races (cinch), we got the Aldermen right except the top two, and we got the top and bottom right in the school board race. For a bunch of people from Chapel Hill (10 of the 21 participants) we sure did't seem to know Chapel Hill voters very well!

Three people got the order right in Carrboro: Ed Neely, Patrick McDonough, and one person who declined to give their name. And only one person got the order of the School Board race right: Damon Seils!

A lot of us got knocked out of the running by listing incumbents Joal Broun and Jamezetta Bedford as top voter getters, when challengers actually took the top slot in both of their races!

I am pleased to announce the 2005 Pundits of the Year! These four people got all of the winners correct in every race: Joan Petit, Carrboro Mark Marcoplos, Orange County Fred Black, Chapel Hill Anon (initials R. S. - not me!) Fred also came closest on the order of finishers. Honorable mention for Charlotte Williams, she was the only pundit who got the exact right order for the Town Council winners. Twenty-four people got the winners in the right order in the Carrboro Board of Aldermen race. Congrats, y'all!