3-way tie leaves Ursina council unchanged

By PATRICK BUCHNOWSKI
The Tribune-Democrat

SOMERSET November 07, 2007 11:23 pm

— Ursina Borough’s seven-member council remains unchanged after Tuesday’s election ended in a three-way tie: 43 votes to 43 to 43.
The three incumbents, Joseph Merryman, Nancy Koontz and Christopher Hostetler, all ran unopposed.
“They’re all on council anyway, so everything pretty much remains the same,” council President Jason Bowers said Wednesday.
“Everyone will remain.”
Merryman might be leaving council, but borough officials have yet to receive his letter of resignation, Bowers said. If Merryman resigns, Bowers added, council would appoint someone to fill the vacancy in the borough.
Had fewer council seats been available, the outcome might have been left to chance.
In the event of a tie in such a situation, the candidates would “cast lots” at noon the third Friday after the election to determine a winner, county Solicitor Dan Rullo said. He referred to Pennsylvania election law 3168.
“I suspect flipping a coin is one way to do it,” Rullo said.
“Most likely, they would draw from a hat.”
In another Election Day quirk, a lone write-in vote was cast for Seven Springs Borough mayor. The mayoral race wasn’t on the ballot, but someone apparently thought it should have been.