Al Foster Sr. remained hopeful by about 3:30 p.m. on Election Day, but he admitted the city was in for a fight.

A former Shaker Heights councilman for 12 years, Foster knows what good voter turnout looks like. He said he didn't see it on Tuesday as he stood in front of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building handing out literature in support of Issue 1, the city's income tax increase proposal.

"The turnout has not been good and it's not been good throughout Shaker," Foster said. "I'm confident that we're going to pick up at 4 p.m. when people get off work."

He admitted that he didn't initially think the opposition would make the strong push that it has with just a few hours left until polls close. Though he disagrees with the Shaker Heights Taxpayers Union's premise, he praised the group's marketing efforts and wished the city had used similarly powerful signage.

"We should have had 'Vote Yes' on our signs because that 'Vote No' is in your face," the U.S. Marine said. "'Vote for 1' says it's message but it's not as powerful as 'Vote No.'"

Follow Shaker Heights Patch on Twitter and 'Like' us on Facebook!