By Matt Fredmonsky
Record-Courier staff writer
The closest mayoral race in Kent nearly 50 years came down to two votes Tuesday as independent Jerry Fiala beat Councilman Rick Hawksley.
Fiala received 2,013 votes and Hawksley earned 2,011, according to complete but unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections.
Fiala said he was stunned at how narrow his margin of victory appeared to be.
“I’m overwhelmed with it,” he said. “We ran a good campaign and we were honest with the people.”
Hawksley, a Democrat, said he expected to be on the phone this morning trying to determine what the protocol is for an automatic recount to see if the Kent mayor’s race — and its two-vote margin — qualifies.
“Whether there will be a recount or not, I don’t know what the judgment will be,” Hawksley said.
Tuesday’s results include absentee ballots, but the tally does not include provisional ballots. As of Tuesday night, 618 provisional ballots across Portage County were not yet counted.
In the other citywide contest, voters returned Democrats Michael DeLeone and Robin Turner to at-large positions on City Council. Newcomer Erik Valenta, an independent, won the third seat.
DeLeone received 2,489 votes, Turner received 2,108 votes and Valenta received 1,737, according to complete but unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections. Democrat Vic Hart received 1,468 votes, and Drew Smith, 737.
The vote in the mayor’s race was the narrowest in that contest since 1961, when Mayor Redmond Greer tied with Robert Byrne in a recount. Greer won a second term by the toss of a coin.
DeLeone said he expected the mayor’s race to be close.
“But I didn’t know it was going to be 50-50,” he said.
To qualify for an automatic recount, the margin has to be within half of 1 percent of the total vote for that office. As an example, if 1,000 votes are cast, then the margin would have to be less than five votes. Whether a recount will take place will not be decided until the final vote count is certified by the elections board Nov. 24.