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Registrar certifies Hanna as city clerk; Sanchez-Lopez considers contesting
Feb 14, 2012 (San Bernardino County Sun - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
SAN BERNARDINO -- The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has certified that Georgeann "Gigi" Hanna won the run-off race for city clerk, but challenger Amelia Sanchez-Lopez isn't ready to concede yet.
After recounting 1percent of the ballots and adding 13 ballots that were disqualified in the initial count Feb. 7, Hanna's margin of victory grew to three -- 6,073 votes to Sanchez-Lopez's 6,070.
Hanna, a former journalist and public affairs officer, said she was looking forward to taking office March 5.
"It's a thrill," she said. "I'm still very grateful for the people that came out and supported me. Hopefully the closeness of this election will encourage more people to vote in this (presidential) election, because that's the key to change."
But Sanchez-Lopez, who is coordinator of the county Public Health Department's alcohol- and drug-abuse prevention program and also serves as a planning commissioner, said the number of uncounted votes might mean the people's voice wasn't heard.
"I do offer my congratulations at this time," Sanchez-Lopez said Tuesday. "However, I'm concerned some people may have been disenfranchised. We may do something; we may not."
The registrar of voter's website shows 62 ballots were turned in but not counted for either candidate.
Those uncounted ballots either were not signed or had a signature that didn't match registrar records, said Michael J. Scarpello, the registrar of voters.
He
said the law gives Sanchez-Lopez until Feb. 21 to call for a recount, which she must pay for -- $3,000 by machine and $13,000 by hand.
She can also contest the election in court within 30 days, he said.
But overall, Scarpello said he was happy the election went smoothly and the 1-percent recount showed no errors.
"On the one hand, it's a great way for people to understand that every vote counts and that their individual vote means something," he said. "As an election administrator, it's gratifying to know that our election procedures, when put to the test, really stand up."
Hanna said her priorities as city clerk include making city records more easily accessible online, improving the business registration process and increasing civic engagement.
Contact Ryan via email or by phone at 909-386-3916.
___ (c)2012 the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.) Visit the
San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.) at www.sbsun.com Distributed
by MCT Information Services
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