Two area municipal races not decided by the April consolidated election were decided this past week. Election results needed to be certified on Tuesday to be sent to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
In Scott County, the final Bluffs Trustee position that ended with a tie of 41 votes between Rita Brockway and Robert Sandman. According to the Scott County Times, Scott County Clerk Sandra Hankins assigned each candidate a numbered ping-pong ball and then placed them in a sack for a draw. A Scott County Clerk security guard then drew out Brockway’s ping-pong ball. She will serve a four-year term along with Chuck Pine and Aaron Sharrow who were the top vote-getters during the April 6th Consolidated Election.
The City of Greenfield in Greene County had a similar tie in the race for Ward 3 Alderman. With 3 candidates vying for the position, challengers Terry Plogger and Jeremy Conrad were seeking to unseat incumbent Ronnie Costello. Costello and Conrad each tied during the April 6th election with 18 votes. According to the Greene Prairie Press, Greene County Clerk Debbie Banghart assigned Costello and Conrad a number which was then placed inside a Dr. Seuss “Cat in the Hat” hat, and Greene County Circuit Judge Zachary Schmidt then drew the number for Conrad as the winner. Costello and Conrad then shook hands after the drawing. Costello was a 2-term incumbent, having first won election in 2013.