Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Vote recount same as electronic count
Auglaize County
By William Kincaid
Every vote counts is what some learned after a final recount on Monday determined the winners of two council seats in Auglaize County.
Auglaize County Board of Elections announced that Patrick McGowan defeated incumbent Mike Bernard by two votes (906-904) for a council-at-large seat on St. Marys City Council in the November election.
In Minster, village council challenger Paul Enneking beat incumbent Randall Huelsman by just five votes (729-724).
"We hand-counted St. Marys Precinct 1B and Minster South Precinct. The hand count was exactly the same as the electronic count. The totals did not change," Carolyn Campbell, director of the Auglaize County Board of Elections, wrote in a press release Monday afternoon.
Board of elections officials completed the final recount on Monday morning.
"Although hand counting ballots is time consuming, it does demonstrate the accuracy of the equipment used for tabulating ballots," Campbell also wrote.
Automatic recounts were ordered for both races because the vote spread among candidates was a half percent or less.
McGowan, 63, 801 Linden Ave., has 40 years experience working in marketing for and with various Fortune 500 companies. He also has sold components associated with power/energy plants. While campaigning, he said he wants to assist in attracting new jobs and finding funding to restore some of the old buildings in St. Marys.
The city council for 2010 now will be at-large seats held by McGowan, Ronald Ginter and James Harris; Ward 1, Michael Kleinhenz; Ward 2, Dennis Vossler; Ward 3, Billy Slemmons; Ward 4, Robin Willoughby; and council president, Daniel Hoelscher Jr.
Enneking, 36, 78 S. Lincoln St., is a a mechanical engineer with Precision Strip and has said he wants to take an active role in such projects as the reconstruction of Fourth Street and cleanup of the Miami and Erie Canal.
Along with Enneking winning the November election, others elected to Minster council were Ricky J. Schwartz, Craig G. Oldiges and Steven M. Kitzmiller. Also on council is Tom Herkenhoff and Nicole Clune, whose terms were not up this year.
