Ocean Gate - It was a close election in Ocean Gate in November with Democrat James McGrath getting 303 votes as the top vote getter.

Low man was James Lewis, who got 282 votes. Sandwiched in the middle at a dead tie were Tom Maydish and Brian Ross, two Republicans who agreed on a coin toss to pick the winner of the second Council seat at stake in the borough's annual council election where normally two of six seats are contested each year.

Maydish Won The Toss, But Democrats Objected

Maydish won the toss, but local Democrats objected, and took the whole thing to court, persuading Superior Court Judge Frank Buczynski to throw out the coin toss and call a special election to allow the losing Democrat to go on the ballot for another try at the brass ring.

So it was Maydish against Lewis for the second time, this time head to head, and when the votes were counted, Maydish was the winner by a margin of 30 votes, 276 to 246, including dozens of absentee ballots.

Terranova Will Continue To Break Tie Votes

The political makeup of the council is three Republicans and three Democrats, and, in the borough government form, all tie votes are broken through the vote of Democrat Mayor Peter Terranova, who sides with the three council Democrats on all partisan issues.

This is why the Democrats fought so hard to contest the one seat, because if Lewis had won, the Democrats would have taken a 4-2 majority control of the council, and wouldn't have to worry about everybody showing up for meetings to control the local government.

Maydish: "I've Been Campaigning For Almost A Year"

"I've been campaigning for almost a year", Maydish said after the election results were known. "I have a great sense of relief that this is finally over."

"I feel like a giant weight has been lifted from my shoulders; I am delighted to be a member of the governing body, and I look forward to working with members of both parties for the best possible local government in our community," Maydish said.

Democrats Will Pony Up "Part" Of  The Election Costs

Mayor Terranova, who supported Lewis, said he was disappointed in the election results, adding the Democratic Club, which promised to reimburse the borough for "part" of the estimated $10,000 cost of the special election, would honor its promise.

But he didn't say how much a "part" would amount to, a trivial detail that you can catch sometime on OceanCountyPolitics as one of the minor revelations of an uncertain future.

For 02/04/04

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