Recount likely in Rosalia council race

A mandatory recount looks likely in the Rosalia Town Council race between incumbent Bob Hill and challenger Rick Lau. At the latest count Tuesday, Lau led Hill by one vote, 112 to 111.

State law, as cited by Whitman County Elections Supervisor Debbie Hooper, orders a recount if the gap is less than one-half of one percent of the total number of votes cast for both candidates.

Elections workers have counted 223 ballots for both candidates. One-half of one percent is 1.115, which means the one vote gap in Tuesday’s count would trigger a recount.

The count could change before the election is declared final.

Hooper said 125 to 150 ballots have been flagged for review by the county canvass board. Whether that last stack of ballots includes one for the Rosalia city council race is unknown.

The canvass board meets just before the election is certified, which must be done by Nov. 23.

If the difference expands to two votes or more after the canvas board review, a recount would not be required.

Hooper said the candidates can always request a recount, but they would have to pay for it.

Since last Tuesday’s election night count, 3,853 more votes have been added to the count. Voters returned a total of 10,277 of the 18,696 ballots mailed out for a 55 percent turnout.

In other updated returns from last week’s initial results, Kurt Kimberling widened his lead over Nikkie Pfaff from 124 to 122 to 196 to 184 Tuesday in their contest for Garfield Hospital commissioner.

Randy Crowner pulled out to an insurmountable lead in the three-way race for Albion Mayor, rising from a 38 to 37 lead over Donald Hammond on election night to 75 to 54 Tuesday.

Close returns for two Endicott school board seats widened with the additional counts. Rachell Anderson now holds a 119 to 111 lead over Frank Garrett, up from 72 to 71 on election night. Nancy Anderson pulled ahead of Dwight Lust 116 to 111. Lust lead 74 to 67 in the initial count.

Farmington’s three funding measures all failed to hit the 60 percent supermajority in the updated count, with the $12,000 street request sitting at 56 percent approval, the $15,000 current expense levy at 57 percent and the $5,000 special equipment levy at 51 percent.

All other financial propositions passed. The six-year LaCrosse capital levy plan for a $6.2 million total passed at 70 percent, a drop of three percent from the election night count.

For Colfax, Todd Vanek maintained a strong lead in the mayoral race with 587 votes. Write-in candidate Jeff Didier now has 333 votes, and Carol Stueckle has 127.

Jim Kackman now has 686 votes and Earl Leland 294 in the lone contested race for the Colfax city council.

Colfax school board incumbents continued to keep strong leads with Laura Johnson at 914 votes compared to 607 for Kirby Dailey; Robert Smith 1,079 compared to 429 for Eric Doering; and Brian Becker 1,090 compared to 431 for Barbara Morgan.

Tom Kammerzell now has 4,672 votes for the district 3 port seat; Al Sorenson has 3,936 votes.

Sara Chase was the only one of six write-in candidates to win, posting a 147 to 100 lead over Paul Michael Fuchs on the Tekoa Park and Recreation commission.