By Kevin Coughlin
A recount by Morris County election officials on Tuesday has upheld Alison Deeb’s 8-vote victory in Morristown’s Fourth Ward.
“It’s a feeling of relief,” said Deeb, a Republican, who has won her third term on the Morristown council.
“It’s definitely taught me that every vote counts on both sides. People who don’t think their vote matters, it’s not true.”
Her opponent, Democrat Justin Davis, said he will review a couple of “discrepancies,” though he’s not holding his breath.
“It’s not fun to lose,” Davis said, after mail-in and provisional ballots were re-counted, and voting machine tallies were re-checked, at Morris County’s board of elections warehouse in Cedar Knolls. “There’s always more you can do. You never feel like you can get enough done.”
Davis, who works for state Sen. Richard Codey, added that he “looks forward to serving the town any way I can in the future.”
The challenger raised three times as much money as the incumbent, according to spending reports filed prior to the Nov. 3 election.
Deeb expressed astonishment that 77 percent of Fourth Ward voters sat out the off-year election.
Both candidates faced personal challenges during the race.
In the last days of the campaign, Deeb had a death in the family. And she and her husband had a serious auto collision with a deer.
Davis also survived a bad accident, in April, when his car was slammed by a tractor trailer. He sustained painful back injuries.
So both candidates have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. And Davis has a consolation prize.
He and his wife, Emma, welcomed their third child, Miller Edward Davis, last Thursday.
