[A] judge ruled Friday that former Sergeant-at-Arms Francis Brooks will be the third Democrat on the November ballot in the Washington County state Senate race.
Superior Court Judge Timothy Tomasi determined Brooks defeated fourth-place finisher Ashley Hill by one vote, 3,709 to 3,708. The victory hinged on a disputed ballot from Worcester that Tomasi determined contained a vote for Brooks, but not one for Hill.
Hill shook hands with Brooks after the ruling and said she would not contest the decision. She said she planned to run for the state Senate in 2018.
Brooks said he was glad the recount was over and said he had been slowed from campaigning after suffering a heart attack during the Montpelier July 3rd parade. He said he has fully recovered and was ready to hit the trail.
“It’s nice to have it over with,” Brooks said after the hearing.
Brooks joins incumbent Democratic Sens. Anthony Pollina, D/P- Middlesex, and Ann Cummings, D-Montpelier, on the November ballot. Three Republicans will appear on the November ballot as well. The Republicans running in November are Sen. William Doyle, R-Montpelier, John Fitzhugh of Berlin and Michael Doyle of Montpelier.
Pollina finished with 6,027 votes while Cummings had 5,979.
Brooks was ousted as sergeant-at-arms in 2015 over concerns he had not done enough to stop protesters from interrupting Gov. Peter Shumlin’s inaugural. He previously served in the House representing Montpelier.
Hill said she was encouraged by how well she had done and that her candidacy had encouraged people to get involved and vote.
“Now I’m ready to take a nap,” she said.
