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This race was a real toss-up!
Close election decided quickly
By
Judd Cribbs, WINK News
Story Created:
Nov 13, 2008 at 6:33 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Nov 13, 2008 at 8:49 PM EDT
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. - In this election, one Charlotte County race was a real toss-up.
The race was for Community Development District Riverwood Group 4, a governing body which oversees the northwest area of the county.
There are five supervisors on that CDD, and three of the seats were up for grabs. Two of the races weren't that close, but group 4 was as tight as it gets.
The race between challenger John Lyons and incumbent Walt Powers was separated by a single vote. The recount revealed the race was actually tied at 434 votes apiece.
So the race came down to a (drum roll, please)... coin flip.
Elections Supervisor Mac Horton says it's state protocol; that any race would be decided in similar fashion.
"You draw lots," he says, "It could be drawing straws or picking a name out of a hat. We chose a coin flip."
Horton asked both men to pick a number between one and ten and whoever was closer would get to choose heads or tails. Lyons won the right to choose and chose tails.
County Judge Paul Alessandroni flipped the coin. There was a moment of tension, and the Kennedy half-dollar landed tails. Lyons was the winner.
Powers was gracious in defeat, Lyons was gracious in victory.
Said the winner: "All my friends said, 'Lyons, you're Irish and you have the luck of the Irish.' They were one hundred percent correct."
