VERGENNES — After two candidates wound up in a dead heat, Vergennes has called for a runoff election to determine who fills the final seat on its City Council.
Former city manager Mel Hawley appeared to beat David Small, a marketing executive and former alderman, by a single vote in the special election Sept. 22 that reconstituted the City Council after a period of upheaval.
Small then called for a recount, which was held Friday at the Vergennes Fire Station. The result was a 339-339 deadlock between the two candidates, who are competing for an alderman term that lasts through next March. The tie, first reported by the Addison Independent, will result in a runoff in October to fill the last open alderman position. The council is comprised of five aldermen, a mayor and a deputy mayor.
In last Tuesday’s special election, 35.9% of registered voters cast ballots — a higher percentage than turned out for the statewide August primary. The city printed more than 100 extra ballots on the day of the vote to meet demand, and a number of them later had to be counted by hand. One vote for Small was missed during the initial round of by-hand counting, leading to the disparity between Tuesday’s results and the tie on Friday.
In his many years as the Vergennes city manager, Hawley said, he couldn’t recall seeing a tie in a local election.
“There’s been close races in Vergennes, but I don’t know that there’s ever been a tie,” he said. “That would be an interesting research project.”
Some involved in the process wondered whether the final alderman seat could be filled in the general election Nov. 3. But Vermont law says that, in the event of a tie in a local election, a runoff is the way forward, and must be held “not less than 15 days nor more than 22 days after the warning.”
“November’s out — we gotta have it in October,” city clerk Britney Aube told VTDigger.
Aube and city manager Daniel Hofman said they aren’t sure of the date yet, but the runoff will likely be after Oct. 13, the date of the next City Council meeting. That meeting will likely be held as planned, Hofman said.
Before the Sept. 22 special election, Vermont’s smallest city had been trying to find its way forward. In July, Hofman shared a text exchange in which former mayor Jeff Fritz made negative remarks about the Vergennes police at a special meeting involving more than 70 people. Fritz resigned, and three aldermen did too. The City Council was left without a quorum.
Small and Hawley both said they were excited by the high turnout at Tuesday’s special election, and the tie proves how important every vote can be in an election. What remains to be seen, Small said, is how many people will turn out for a runoff after months of stress over the town government’s political future.
“I’m tired, I’m sure Mel’s tired, we’re all tired,” Small said. “We’re going to do our best to ask that people come and vote and see what happens.”
