So close
Six weeks after election day, the closest race for county commissioner in the history of Fayette County finally came to a close this week.
The drama started on election night with incumbent Angela M. Zimmerlink ahead of challenger Dave Lohr for most of the night. But the battle between the two Republicans tightened considerably as the final precincts were counted and Zimmerlink’s margin of victory stood at only 35 with the absentee ballots still to be counted.
When the absentee ballots were tallied, Zimmerlink’s margin shrunk to a mere 11 votes. The official recount was then undertaken with Zimmerlink picking up one vote to extend her margin to 12 votes.
But then it was revealed that there was a mix up at the Uniontown Post Office and a number of additional absentee ballots had been discovered. When they were counted along with the provisional ballots, Zimmerlink had padded her lead to 18 votes. However, Lohr challenged a ruling by the election board discounting any absentee ballots not postmarked by the Nov. 4 deadline. Fayette County Judge Ralph C. Warman then upheld the the board’s decision.
Warman, however, granted a subsequent request brought by supporters of Lohr to a recount of five voting precincts, including two of the largest precincts in the county, Bullskin Township 1 and South Union Township 1.
The recount left the 18-vote margin between the Republican candidates intact, leaving the election board with no choice but to certify the results. Lohr then brought the historic race to a close by conceding victory to Zimmerlink.
With the certification, the three-member board of commissioners for the next four years will include Democrat Al Ambrosini, who was the top vote-getter with 12,092 votes, Democratic incumbent Vincent Zapotosky with 10,180 votes and and Zimmerlink, who received 8,864 votes. Lohr finished fourth with 8,846 votes.
There is plenty to digest in this historic race, but we would be remiss if we did not first commend Lohr on graciously conceding defeat and not dragging the process out any further.
As it was, the recount delayed an official certification of the remaining Fayette County races, which in turn was holding up the certification of state races, including elections for judge in the Commonwealth and Superior courts, as well as retention votes for Supreme, Superior, Commonwealth and Fayette County judges.
Additionally, it was holding up school board reorganization meetings in the county. The boards are supposed to reorganize the first full week of December, which includes swearing in members, electing officers and deciding which board members will serve on various committees.
Still, we don’t fault Lohr in the least for seeking every legal option available to make sure that the each and every eligible vote was counted. It had to be especially difficult for Lohr who lost by only 200 votes in his first run for the office back in the 1990s. But he had to realize that any further efforts would be futile, and he stood no chance of overtaking Zimmerlink.
In addition to his gracious concession, he also deserves credit for running a hard but clean campaign, which came so tantalizingly close to victory.
More than that, this oh-so-close election should give Fayette County voters some peace of mind. After all, the end result of this was that our election system worked. After challenges and recounts, no real problems were discovered. What’s more, the process was conducted out in the open and without any chicanery or cloak-and-dagger mischief.
The election director, Larry Blosser, and election board members, Mark Mehalov, Barbara Balling Carl and Vincent A. Vicites deserve praise for their efforts in making sure the race was decided fairly and legally.
It’s pretty amazing that in a race this important, with a vote total this close, that we’re left with no side feeling like they were cheated.
There was some talk of conspiracy during the process, and those who raised the accusations should feel ashamed. As Lohr noted in his concession comments, “If there was a conspiracy, who would be taking the oath in January?”
Lohr also urged county residents to keep a close eye on the newly-elected commissioners over the next four years to make sure vindictiveness over the close election doesn’t come to a head.
We can’t agree more.
After such a challenging election, let’s hope the new board of commissioners will be able to put the past behind them and work together to ensure a better future for the residents of Fayette County.