Darlene Tangney, the uncontested candidate in Long Beach School District’s special run-off election on Tuesday, received 150 votes out of 162 cast to win a second term on the Board of Education.
New York state law required the election after in the May 15 at-large election. Tangney became the de facto winner of the seat after Guma opted to forgo the run-off after three recounts of all votes that still showed a tie between the two candidates that ran as a team.
On Tuesday, the other 12 write-in ballots were either cast for Guma or were left blank, said District Clerk Carole Butler. The run-off was held at East School, the only polling place established for the special election, which was one measure the district took to reduce the cost to the re-vote. Whereas a typical election costs about $40,000, the run-off cost about $1,800, according to the district.
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The day after the election and recounts, Tangney had disputed the validity of one absentee ballot for Guma, contending that it was unclear which candidate the voter checked off on an absentee ballot. Later that day, after Neil Block, an attorney for District Counsel, met with the school board and explained their options under election law, all five trustees, including Tangney and Guma, voted to validate the tie and other vote outcomes. The following week, at a public work session, Guma announced that she decided to step aside.
Tangney and newcomer ,will start their three-year terms on July 1.
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