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For Scott Moore and Kevin Mannix, last week’s election was about more than vote totals. It was about armies.

In that regard, both men got what they wanted 鈥� even though the actual election results elated Moore and frustrated Mannix.

They got their armies.

Measure 84, which would have killed Oregon’s estate tax, went down by an 857,628 to 731,205 margin. But Mannix said this is just the beginning. He said the important thing is that he rallied his troops for next time.

鈥淲e’re not going to run out to voters right now, but the time will come,鈥� Mannix said.

When it does, another army will be waiting. Moore is the communications director for Our Oregon, the group that spearheaded efforts to preserve the estate tax and give Oregon’s corporate 鈥渒icker鈥� (triggered when the state brings in more taxes than predicted two years earlier) to public schools. The latter one, Measure 85, passed 942,316 to 637,429.

Beyond the numbers, Moore echoed Mannix, saying that the most important outcome of the election is the army of partisans it organized.

鈥淲e spent months in communities building a network of people who believe in preserving Oregon’s basic services,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow we’ll use that momentum to bring people together to start working on Oregon’s problems.鈥�

He declined to identify specific problems.

鈥淭he next step is making sure our voices are heard in the Legislature,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淭he solutions will come from everyone.鈥�

Library bonds

One army that will not be marching off to war during the next election is the one fighting for a new library in Lake Oswego.

Let there be peace, said Darrel Condra of the Yes on Lake Oswego Public Library campaign.

鈥淲e’re not going to fall back and regroup,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’re disappointed, but we’re still neighbors and realize our neighbors might have had different priorities.鈥�

The library project also would have included residential and commercial space.

鈥淪ome of the opposition might have been to those other aspects of the project,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of people had a lot of reasons to vote against the measure.鈥�

Condra said he doesn’t take the result as a slam against libraries in general.

鈥淲e’re library users in Lake Oswego,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’re the highest library users in the state per capita. At least 30,000 people in Lake Oswego have library cards and use the library. What voters said is we don’t want to move the library right now.鈥�

It was not a good year for library bonds on the ballot. Approximately 58 percent of Lake Oswego voters shot down the $14 million bond for the proposed 60,000-square-foot library. Meanwhile, 56 percent of Gladstone voters similarly rejected a new $10 million library.

Marijuana measure

At least 753,953 Oregon voters wanted marijuana to be legalized. Another 874,947 did not. However, Washington state voters legalized marijuana by a 1,177,870 to 950,221 margin.

That is going to create a problem, said lawyer Ron Guerra, who specializes in employment law as a partner in the firm of Jordan Ramis PC in Lake Oswego.

Having marijuana legal in Washington and illegal in Oregon raises all sorts of employment issues, he said, especially in Portland, where many Washingtonians work.

鈥淲e’re still evaluating and analyzing the situation,鈥� Guerra said. 鈥淚t will clearly have broad implications for employers in both states.鈥�

Guerra said this should be a wake-up call for businesses.

鈥淚f they don’t have a written drug-and-alcohol policy, now is the time to get one,鈥� he said.

Marijuana is still a controlled substance banned by the federal government, Guerra pointed out. Therefore, he said, policies should reflect federal law and have zero tolerance for marijuana rather than focusing on impairment.

Marijuana use promises to be an incredibly complicated issue, he added.

鈥淭here are emerging, obvious issues,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ny person who wants to smoke marijuana in Oregon for recreational purposes has a ready and able system in place with medical marijuana laws. Voters didn’t feel a need to expand on that system.鈥�

Annexations

Annexation requests, almost always approved by voters, fared as expected in Canby, Jefferson, Molalla, Oregon City, Salem and Sherwood.

鈥淭here were no surprises,鈥� said Glenn Gross, a planner for the city of Salem. 鈥淭hey all passed. That’s usually the way it goes.鈥�

There were 12 annexation requests before Salem voters this year. Gross said they usually appear in clusters in presidential and congressional election years.

鈥淵ou can hold them on off-year elections, but most people choose general elections,鈥� Gross said. 鈥淭hey’re less expensive because everyone shares the cost with more issues on the ballot.鈥�

Assorted results

In other election results:

Multnomah County voters passed a $482 million construction bond for renovating Franklin, Grant and Roosevelt high schools and replacing Faubion School. The bond money also will pay for smaller repair projects at other Portland Public Schools facilities.

Damascus voters approved a measure to reduce next year’s city expenditures to 90 percent of 2010 levels. After that, city officials must limit annual total spending increases to 2.5 percent.

Lake Oswego voters approved a $5 million bond to improve a stretch of Boones Ferry Road.

Government Camp voters approved creating a special road district and tax. The new district will provide permanent and dedicated road maintenance funding.

Mannix said the election was definitely a learning experience.

鈥淭he fly in the ointment is the public employees union,鈥� he said of the campaign to kill the estate tax. 鈥淭hey outspent us 6-to-1.鈥�

The measure was defeated by urban voters. That says something about Oregon, Mannix said.

鈥淭here is a libertarian, populist strain in rural Oregon,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he pioneer spirit that invested in Oregon is invested in land.鈥�

Moore took another lesson away from the election. Wealthy Oregonians have received $37 billion in tax breaks since 1997, he said.

鈥淲e have to make sure we’re not giving away the store,鈥� he said.

Yet all in all, he said, it was a good election and a healthy process.

鈥淭he ballot measures gave us an opportunity to have important discussions.鈥�