Election '99: Long asks for recount after losing by two votes

No one ever said Ron Long couldn't change his mind.

The North Las Vegas City Council candidate has decided to request a recount of Tuesday's primary election ballots that left him two votes shy of fourth place.

Long collected 1,135 votes compared to opponent Marcia Blake's 1,137. Longtime Councilman William Robinson received 2,236 votes, while first-term Councilwoman Paula Brown garnered 1,966, followed by planning commissioner Shari Buck with 1,419.

The top four vote getters in the race that saw 13 candidates vying for two four-year seats now advance to the June 8 general election.

Long, a 39-year-old partner in a landscaping business said Wednesday he did not want a recount, but a Thursday visit to the city clerk's office changed his mind.

What Long discovered at the city clerk's office is that 854 of the ballots were mailed in -- paper ballots that are hand-fed into a card-reading machine. Long said that leaves room for human error, which is a risk that he is not willing to take.

"With the vote being so close, I feel this is something I need to do for my own peace of mind," he said.

"The campaign process was pretty arduous and there are a lot of contributions at stake. I just don't want a question mark hanging over our heads."

Long's request, which cannot be formally filed until the City Council certifies the election results at a special meeting Tuesday, is not a reflection on any other candidate, he said.

"If everything comes out that it was right, so be it," Long said. "I have no quarrel with the system or other challengers. I just want to make sure it's right because it's just so close."

City Clerk Eileen Sevigny confirmed the receipt of Long's request Thursday. She did not have a cost estimate for the recount, for which Long will be financially liable. Long, however, estimated it will cost $1,000 to $2,000 based on the low number of ballots. Only 17.5 percent of the city's registered voters turned out for the primary.

The city clerk's office has five days to conduct the recount following the formal request, according to state law. A recount can be requested within three days of the certification of the election results.

Blake, a 26-year-old women's shoe department manager, said if she was in Long's position, she would probably ask for a recount.

"If Ron is the winner, he deserves to know," she said. "We're just going ahead like we won. If it gets turned over, we will go from there."

With campaign contributions totalling $32,746 and the backing of Mayor Michael Montandon, Long was an early favorite over Blake, who raised a comparatively paltry $2,550.

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