Incumbent trustee loses election

In a surprising upset of incumbent trustee Cora Breckenridge, Phil Eskew Jr. won the open IU board of trustees seat, receiving 9,209 of the 31,650 votes cast by IU alumni. \n"It came out of nowhere," said Doug McKinney, library statistical data analyst. \nEskew, from Carmel, Ind., beat out candidate Steve Sanders with 6,555 votes and Breckenridge with 5,503. As Breckenridge and Sanders stood anxiously in the library while 20 students and faculty counted votes, something was askew, as Eskew was nowhere to be seen. \nBreckenridge gave hugs to friends as she left defeated, yet still upbeat and positive about her service. She wished her University well and said she has plenty to keep her busy now that her role as trustee is over. \n"I did the best I could do," Breckenridge said. "I can see my tenure is just about over. It's been a great run. I will remain a loyal and dedicated alumni." \nOnlookers were surprised that the candidate who didn't heavily campaign won the seat so handily. Patricia Steele, interim dean of libraries, said she thought it was amazing that there was such a disparity with seven candidates. \nMcKinney ran the elaborate counting process that involved opening all envelopes, separating votes into separate piles of 50 per candidate, and double and triple counting. \n"Doug has the process fine-tuned," Steele said. "This was one of the smoothest elections we've had." \nThe 20 counters had a full day of flipping through ballots that left them rubbing their shoulders by the end. \n"It took forever," said senior Ashley Banter. "My thumbs hurt after awhile." \nAn onlooker who was not directly involved helped shed some light on the importance of the election. The new trustee takes over in what is shaping up to be a busy time as IU goes through its presidential search. \n"When you have a board this small, every member has to carry his or her own weight," said Bloomington resident Suzann Owen. "You can not afford to have anyone that doesn't make a contribution." \nAccording to his statement on the IU Alumni Association Web site, Eskew said the big issues facing IU today are filling the leadership void, starting with a new president, making IU a "destination school" instead of a back-up and making IU the center of excellence for all ages with better communication and technology.\n"The leadership void of the entire University is substantial," Eskew said, according to the site. "Addressing this void starts with selecting the next president. That president must move Indiana to a higher level by committing to a long-term strategic plan that will refocus the University."\nEskew noted his qualifications in leadership with his participation on various community and national boards. \n"I served on my city's school board, was a medical residency director and continue as clinical professor at the IU Medical School," Eskew said, according to the site. "Each position required leadership and accountability to the constituencies they represent."\nHe graduated from IU School of Medicine in 1970 and has gone on to be a Carmel obstetrician-gynecologist who has delivered more than 5,000 infants. He is a clinical professor for the IU School of Medicine, department of obstetrics, and member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.