PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Tuesday morning, the Lake County Board of Elections certified the final results of the Nov. 4 General Election.
Two Mentor races were too close to call on Election Day: a seat on the Mentor School Board and the race for Mentor City Council.
After provisional and absentee ballots were counted, Daniel Hardesty won the school board seat by eight votes.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Hardesty said. "The last few weeks have been kind of stressful."
The council race was decided by a single vote; Brian Cook won by one.
“The finish line was always Nov. 4, it was Nov. 4 but the finish line got extended to the 21st, so the wait has been absolutely excruciating,” Cook said.
Those razor-thin margins triggered an automatic recount.
“As far as we’re concerned, the results are certified. But, in the state of Ohio, if any race falls between a margin of half or 1%, the board must declare an automatic recount," said Dante Lewis, director of the Lake County Board of Elections.
The recounts are scheduled for Dec. 2; those results will be certified on Dec. 9.
