RIDGEWAY – Although a number of his votes were whittled away by the Fairfield County Election Commission Friday morning, write-in candidate Heath Cookendorfer’s surprise victory in Ridgeway’s April 8 municipal election was upheld by a final tally of 43 votes to 41 over incumbent Town Councilwoman Belva Bush.
The two-vote margin put Cookendorfer just beyond the mandatory recount threshold and the 42-year-old native of Alexandria, Ky. was sworn into office Friday evening.
Debbie Stidham, Director of Fairfield County Voter Registration & Elections, said the Commission discounted some votes that did not clearly indicate voter intent, per state guidelines, such as ballots that simply read “Heath,” or incorrectly read “Heath M.”
Other vote finals remained unchanged, with incumbent Charlene Herring easily beating out Bush for mayor, 91-27, and Councilman Russ Brown earning a second term with 98 votes. Herring and Brown also renewed their oaths Friday.
