Local News in Brief : Ruling Swings Election
Raymond D. Mattingly won a seat on the Palos Verdes Estates City Council Tuesday night after a judge ordered absentee ballots received after the April 12 election to be opened and counted.
Rita M. Bayer and Mattingly finished in a tie in voting last week and a recount Monday failed to break the deadlock, giving each 1,563 votes.
Both candidates were angry about the 46 absentee ballots that had not been counted. Many of the ballots were postmarked days before the election but did not make it to the city’s post office box in time to be counted.
The final absentee count was 23 for Mattingly and 16 for Bayer. The remaining votes were for other candidates. Mattingly was sworn in after the vote was announced.
“The judge’s (Tuesday afternoon) ruling was much more preferable than the luck of the draw,” Mattingly said. Both Rita and I felt that whoever won, the council would benefit.”
Mayor Edward Ritscher had planned to draw the name of the winner if the judge had not ruled on the matter.
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