Jay Barrett declared winner in Ely council race

City officials asked the state attorney general's office for a legal opinion after Barrett questioned the results of his Seat 2 primary.

Tallies showed he received 48.6 percent of all votes cast, while his closest challenger, David Provost, got 32.4 percent.

Barrett, however, argued that if only votes cast in his particular race are considered, he won a majority, or 50.99 percent.

State law allows that in cities of 5,000 people or more, a candidate who wins more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary is the only one to advance to the general election.

City officials said the attorney general's office agreed with Barrett's argument that percentage margins are based on the number of people who vote in a particular race.

Incumbent Councilman Larry Dunton also retained his post by winning a majority of votes cast in Tuesday's three-way primary for Seat 4.

In the mayor's race, Randy Conner will square off against Robert Miller in the general. Conner received 35.6 percent of votes, compared with Miller's 34.8 percent.

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