Erica Techo
Council member Juanita Champion (left) and City Clerk Becky Landers count votes on provisional ballots.
During a specially called meeting on Aug. 30, the Chelsea City Council voted to canvass, or certify, the results of the 2016 municipal election.
Two members of the council, Alison Moore Nichols and Tony Picklesimer, were absent from the meeting, but the council had a quorum to conduct business.
City Clerk Becky Landers informed the council and attendees that of 22 provisional ballots, only four would be counted on Aug. 30. That decision was made by the Board of Registrars in Columbiana, Landers said.
“When people move and don’t update their voter ID, that’s what happens,” Landers said. “That’s something important people [voting] in the runoff need to remember.”
With the four provisional ballots counted, final vote totals (with provisional votes in parentheses) included:
Mayor (run-off):
- Dale Neuendorf – 761
- Alison Moore Nichols – 455 (3 votes)
- Tony Picklesimer – 1,100 (1 vote)
Place 1:
- Robert Barnes – 760 (1 vote)
- Cody Sumners – 1,464 (2 votes)
Place 2:
- Chris Thomas – 528 (1 vote)
- Scott Weygand – 1,687 (3 votes)
Place 3:
- David Ingram – 1,720 (1 vote)
- Gary Isbell – 464 (2 votes)
Place 4:
- Tiffany Bittner – 1,129 (1 vote)
- David Calhoun – 1,120 (3 votes)
Place 5:
- Elizabeth Cooley – 385
- Tom Holcombe – 335 (1 vote)
- Casey Morris – 1,506 (3 votes)
*winners are in bold
Place 4 was the only race in which the provisional ballots could have affected results. Bittner was 11 votes ahead of Calhoun on election night, and remained ahead following the provisional ballot count. Bittner said she looks forward to serving on the council and is thankful for the support of those who voted for her.
“I’m thankful for the people that came out and had their voice heard,” Bittner said. “That’s part of the democracy that we live in, is to allow everyone to have their voice recorded. And Mr. Calhoun was a gentleman in the race, and I wish him the best of luck. I’m just ready, of course, to see who the mayor is going to be and then hit the ground running and hopefully make some good decisions to lead the city forward.”
Voters have through Sept. 19 to register to vote and update their voter ID before the Oct. 4 run-off election for mayor, and absentee ballot applications are available online at cityofchelsea.com or at Chelsea City Hall.
