City votes won't change
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on July 25, 2012 2:09 PM
Little had changed with the final vote totals Tuesday afternoon when the Wayne County Board of Elections voted to verify the numbers from the July 17 election.
The winners of the seven Goldsboro municipal races were not altered from election night when unofficial results showed all four incumbents had kept their seats in the races, although the margin in the District 5 race was revealed to be much tighter than initially reported.
The totals on July 17 showed Mayor Pro Tempore Chuck Allen with 184 votes and 171 votes cast for write-in candidates -- most assumed to be for Jerome Tew who campaignedfor the seat.
Write-in votes cast incorrectly, typically without the voter filling in the bubble and only writing a name on the line, added to the count for Jerome Tew while a handful of write-in votes cast for others left Tew with 183 votes by the time the ballots were all counted. An errant vote not counted in the hand-to-eye recount Monday put Tew within two votes ofAllen, who picked up a provisional vote during the verification process to finish with 185 votes.
In the election's other close race, a challenge by Tondalayo Clark in the District 4 race was deemed to be insufficient to warrant the scheduling of a hearing on the matter.
Ms. Clark, who lost to incumbent Rev. Charles Williams by 10 votes, had contended that changes in precincts, the uncertainty of the election date and an anecdote that was shared with her involving someone tampering with a ballot box were enough for the results of the race to be re-examined.
Wayne County Attorney Borden Parker offered his advice to the board, suggesting that Ms. Clark did make enough allegations to validate her protest and that a hearing could be scheduled, but that it was wholly at the discretion of the Board of Elections.
The board voted unanimously that there was not enough evidence or probable cause to warrant a hearing.
The other unofficial results of the election were verified, as well, meaning Bill Broadaway, Gene Aycock and William Goodman will be sworn in at the City Council's Aug. 6 meeting. Broadaway will represent District 2 and Aycock will represent District 6. Goodman will once again represent District 3, eight years after resigning the seat due to a felony conviction.
Incumbents Mayor Al King and District 1 Councilman Michael Headen also kept their seats.
Outgoing council members Bob Waller, Don Chatman and Jackie Warrick will attend their last council meeting Aug. 6.