Election Aftermath of Owego Vote

Village of Owego voters are still waiting to see who their new 3rd Ward trustee will be. Incumbent Michael Phelps and challenger Fran VanHousen are locked at 286 votes each. That race, along with the ballots for the 1st Ward trustee race were sent off Wednesday to the Tioga County Board of Elections for an official re-count. Incumbent Ed Morton defeated Theresa Gosart in the 1st ward, but only by 8 votes. Clerk-Treasurer Rodney Marchewka, who also won re-election Tuesday night, says he expects the results of a recount to be certified and returned by the Tioga County Board of Elections at the end of this week. If the results of the 3rd ward race don’t change, a decision will have to be made. Names could be drawn from a hat. VanHousen has said she would be ok with a coin toss. Phelps is said to have requested another election for the 3rd Ward trustee seat if the results remain tied after the recount.