West Wins Selectboard Seat Following Recount; Sworn Into Office
MANCHESTER — Jonathan West has been sworn in as the newest member of Manchester’s Selectboard, winning the two-year seat following a recount requested by incumbent candidate Laurie Kunz.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve my town,” West said. “Today’s confirmation of the results demonstrates the strength of our democratic process. Anita and the election staff handled this process with extreme professionalism and I’m thankful that this chapter of the process has been brought to a close.”
Unofficial results from the March 5 election showed a margin of only 11 votes in West’s favor. On Monday, the hand-count confirmed that 590 votes were cast for Kunz with 601 for West, out of 1,275 total ballots.
Some election results were updated by the recount, with a write-in ballot for a third candidate being re-classified as an overwrote ballot (meaning the voter had selected more than the one allowed option) but the margin between West and Kunz remained unchanged.
“I am proud of the work that I’ve done for the town of Manchester over the past three years,” Kunz said. “I hope that Jonathan will continue to support some of the topics that I was most passionate about, including protecting our aquifer, supporting flood resilience and the neighborhoods affected by flooding, and the support of our first responders.”
Monday’s recount is the first conducted by town officials in Manchester in recent memory — and potentially ever. Though an election for state representative went to a recount in 2008, this process was conducted by state officials in Bennington as it was an election for the State Legislature and not a local race.
The process on Monday was led by Town Clerk Anita Sheldon and Manchester’s Board of Civil Authority (BCA), including Marlene Hall — the Town Clerk for nearby Shaftsbury, and Manchester’s per diem Assistant Town Clerk — Election Official Eric Salat, and longtime BCA members Frank Kropa, Richard Long, and Barbara Powers.
“We have an experienced staff today,” Sheldon said early Monday. “We are going to get this done as soon as possible so no matter who wins the seat, someone will be able to sit on the Selectboard tomorrow night.”
A special session of the Manchester Selectboard was originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, though that meeting was canceled on Monday due to planned presenters for the annual Unsung Heroes Award being ill, according to Town Manager Scott Murphy. The reorganization of Manchester’s Selectboard will instead take place during a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 19, while the Unsung Heroes Award will be rescheduled for a later date (to be determined), Murphy said.
On Monday, the BCA completed their task in just over two hours. Kropa did the honor of breaking the ballot box’s two official seals to begin the proceedings.
Officials first sorted ballots into categories — for Kunz, for West, overwrote, and write-in — before hand counting them. Ballots were stacked in groups of 50 by a pair of officials before being confirmed by a second pair. All results were then entered into a tally sheet, eventually signed off on by all seven officials in attendance.
“I may be the one that people run to on Election Day but it’s impossible to do this by yourself,” Sheldon said. “Without the BCA, we wouldn’t have an election here in Manchester.”
Two overwrote ballots warranted extra scrutiny on Monday. The first showed one crossed out vote, with what appeared to be initials next to another vote for Kunz. Three officials agreed that this was a vote for Kunz, one felt that the voter’s intent was indeterminable, and two felt it was an overwrote ballot, so the vote was ultimately ruled to be in Kunz’s favor. A second overwrote ballot was later found to be in West’s favor with full agreement from the BCA.
Kunz and West both had the opportunity to review ballots alongside BCA members on Monday as the counting and tallying progressed.
“This is the democratic process,” Sheldon explained. “This is your right.”
West was finally sworn in at 3 p.m. on Monday — on his forty-first birthday and almost a week after the election. Standing by his side were his parents, his husband Thomas, and their four children.
West’s father William looked on as his son was sworn into office, just as he had been years ago as a former member of Manchester's Selectboard.
“I am so proud of Jonathan, I always have been,” said West’s father, William. “He’s a very special man and Manchester has made the right decision. He will do a great deal of good for the town.“
“Since he was knee high he wanted to be here,” added West's mother, Pamela. “Now, he is.”
https://www.manchesterjournal.com/local-news/west-wins-selectboard-seat-following-recount-sworn-into-office/article_3b02ad74-dfd5-11ee-9b75-a79789739d57.html
