Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-26
BURMESTER HEAD Of COUNCIL
Republican Member Secures Chair
manship by Good Vote.
THREE DEMOCRATS VOTE AYE
Prefer Third ward Man TO Number
of Fellow Partisan Candidate
FunkhOuser President
Pro Tenn.

Louis Burmester. republican, member
from the Third ward. was elected presi-
dent of the omaha city council Monday
afternoon, on the twenty-fifth ballot by
the votes OF the six republican members,
himself included. and three democrats,
Brucker, Johnson and Sheldon.
Following the election of Mr. .Burmester.
Funkhouser, member from the Eleventh
ward and defeated candidate for president,
was elected pro tenn by unanimous vote.
The nomination OF Mr.. Funkhouser was
made by Councilman Sheldon and there
was no other candidate. Councilman Nc
Govern, also a defeated candidate for
president, has been president pro tenn since
the resignation of jeff w. Bedford the
first Of the year. but he was not nom
mated again.
Five candidates were placed in nomin-
alton for president OF the council. two re-
publicans and three democrats. After City
Clerk Butler had called the council to-
gethe- and the twelve members had an
swered present to the call Of the roll,
he announced that nominations for pres
ident would be received. Judge Berka of
the First was the first to get the eye of
the chairman and he placed Mr.. Bur
mester in nomination.
Councilman Sheldon OF the Sixth then
nominated Councilman Funkhouser of the
Eleventh. Judge Berka was then placed
in nominated by Mr.. Burmester, Council
man Bridges OF the Second nominated
Councilman McGovern of the Ninth. Mr..
McGovern retaliated by nominating Mr..
Bridges. and nominations were then or
dered closed on the motion of Judge Berka.
BallOting for the Job.
The first ballot gave three votes to Bur
mester, three to Berka, three to McGov-
ern, two TO Funkhouser and one to
Bridges, and this total was not changed
materially until the last-the twenty-fifth
ballot was taken, when Mr.. Burmester
received two more votes than are nee
essary to elect.
Councilman Brucker of the Fifth. demo-
crat. made the first break, and when his
name was called. the third one on the
Itwenty-fifth ballot, and he voted Bur
mester," a hum went around the room,
the crowd of interested auditors SEEM
ing to believe that this break meant the
election of the Third ward councilman.
Mr.. Burmester's name was called next,
but he passed. The next democratic name
called was that of Funkhouser, but he
voted for Bridges. johnson OF the Fourth,
the next democrat called on the roll, passed,
and the roll call came to Sheldon. Bur
mester then had six votes, five repub-
licans and Brucker's. Burmester had
passed. but, as Sheldon said afterward,
he would vote for himself IL the vote was
needed. so Sheldon cast his vote for the
republican. This was the seventh vote
necessary to elect. Johnson then voted for
Burmester and the successful nominee.
when his name was called the second time,
voted for himself, saying that he owed
that much to the men who had supported
him.
The crowd in the chamber cheered, and
the new president was escorted to the
chair. He made but a brief talk, saying
he would do his best to fulfill the duties
of his office and to do the will OF the
councilmen.
Democrats split Some.
In the ballotting for president the re-
publicans stayed together, while the demo-
Gratis switched back and forth among their
three nominees. Judge Berka of the First,
A. c. Kugel Of the Tenth and Fred Schroe-
der OF the Seventh voted consistently for
Burmester on every ballot, while ]. b.
Hummel Of the Eighth. Charles M. Davis
Of the Twelfth and Mr.. Burmester voted
for Judge Berka on the first twenty-tour
ballots, swinging TO Burmester on the
twenty-fifth.
Opposed to this solid voting by the re-
publicans, the democrats voted in this
fashion:
Bridges cast his first nine votes for Nc
Govern, the next six for Funkhouser, seven
more for McGovern, and the last four for
~Funkhouser.
Brucker voted four times for Funkhouser.
then four times for McGovern. then six
for Funkhouser, two for McGovern, and
the rest. with the exception of the last,
for Funkhouser.
Funkhouser cast his first twelve votes
for McGovern, the next two for Bridges,
the fifteenth ballot for McGovern, the
next three for Bridges, the nineteenth for
McGovern, the next four for Bridges and
the last two for McGovern.
Johnson distributed his votes among the
three candidates OF his party. The first
seven went to Funkhouser, the eighth to
McGovern, the ninth and tenth to Funk
houser, The eleventh to McGovern, the
twelfth to Bridges. the thirteenth to Funk
houser. fourteenth to Bridges. sixteenth TO
McGovern; seventeenth and eighteenth to
Bridges, and the rest to Funkhouser, with
the exception Of his votes on the twenty
second and the twenty-fifth ballots, the
first going 10 Bridges and the last to
Burmester.
McGovern voted first for Bridges, next
for Funkhouser and then back 10 Bridges
for the next five votes. The next four
votes went 10 funknOuser, the next 1--WE
to Bridges, and so on, back and fourth
between these two candidates until the
bitter end.
Switching Did Nothing.
Sheldon voted for Funkhouser on the
first five ballots. then three times for
? McGovern, four more votes FOR Funk
houser, three for Bridges, one for Nc
Govern, another for Bridges, and the rest
; for Funkhouser except on the twenty
) second ballot when he switched back to
, Bridges again and on the twenty-fifth
when he climbed onto the band wagon.
Bridges got as high as four votes In
the seventeenth ballot. He had three
I votes on the ninth and the thirteenth.
but on the other ballots he got either one
or two votes, being left out altogether on
seven ballots.
McGovern got five votes on the sixth
and seventh ballots, four on the seventh
and sixteenth ballots. and one, two or
three votes on the other ballots, except
on six when he WAS left out in thu cot1