Tinesha Allen’s razor-thin margin of 18 votes over incumbent four-term Supervisor Jack Cavalier held firm during a daylong recount on Thursday at the Stafford County Courthouse. The Democrat will replace Republican when the new board convenes in January.
Stafford County Chief Judge Hon. Charles Sharp certified with the election results, along with help from Chief Judges Hon. Lisa Bondareff Kemler, of Alexandria Circuit Court, and Chief Judge Hon. William T. Newman, Jr., of the Arlington County Circuit Court.
Cavalier’s argument: Since the Registrar’s office sent 1,000 ballots meant for the Moncure precincts to the nearby Barrett precinct on Election Day November 5, and only 714 of them were used, some votes may have gotten miscounted.
Cavalier’s attorney, Clark Lemming, urged Sharp to allow the remaining 286 unused ballots to be unsealed and reviewed.
The judge declined, and Lemming added he made the request despite being satisfied with how the recount was carried out on Wednesday.
“The suggestion of misdoings at the polls, while anecdotal, is concerning,” said Sharp.
As the numbers stood unchanged following the recount, the court could not find any evidence to overturn the results of the election. At 6:05 p.m., Sharp ruled to uphold the November 5 tally.
Cavalier’s charges of irregularities at the polls were based on anecdotal information, including an account from a member of the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
The recount took place inside the jury assembly room at the county courthouse, starting at 9 a.m. and wrapping up about 5:45 p.m.
A group of about 20 people, to include members of the county Electoral Board, General Registrar Anna Rainey, observers from both campaigns, Cavalier and Lemming were present.
So was Tim Barbarow, Tinesha Allen’s attorney who represented Allen in court Wednesday, was not present at the recount because, according to one of her campaign observers, was attending a nursing school class.
Cavalier said he doesn’t have any regrets about how he carried out his re-election campaign, and noted the Griffis-Widewater district had about 2,000 more registered voters this election cycle that it had during the last Supervisor election in 2015.
“If people want to be represented by a specific candidate, it’s important that they get out and vote,” he said.
Allen will be sworn in with all of two other newly-elected members of the Board of Supervisors — incumbent Tom Coen, of the George Washington District, and Crystal Vanuch, who will replace Wendy Maurer in the Rockhill District. Maurer did not seek reelection.
The Stafford Board of Supervisors will hold its final meeting of 2019 on December 17 at the county government center.
