Close Morris Twp. vote gets May rerun

by: FogerRox

Tue Mar 13, 2007 at 02:55:57 AM EDT

From the tuesday Star Ledger.

Close Morris Twp. vote gets May rerun
Cost: More than $50,000 to fill a $9,000 committee job
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
BY MARGARET McHUGH
Star-Ledger Staff
With Morris Township's contested election hinging on one vote, a call to a former resident living 8,658 miles away in Thailand seemed to be the way to resolve it.

Problem was, Alfred Lee yesterday couldn't remember who he voted for. That left Judge Theodore Bozonelis with little choice: He's sending voters back to the polls.

Alfred Lee was in Thailand and had used an absentee ballot. So its a tie 4217 to 4217.

Special election details below the fold....

Mayor Robert Nace said the election, to be held May 1, will cost the township more than $50,000.

Neither candidate expected the race for the $9,000-a-year part-time township committee job to come to this.

"I thought it would be resolved (yesterday) one way or the other," said Democrat Jeff Grayzel, who was out of state with his family.
"This is my fourth try at this to bring an independent voice. I'm not giving up now," said Grayzel. If he wins, he would become the first elected Democrat in the township since the period following the Watergate scandal of the 1970s.

The Morris DEM GOTV machine organized by Chip Robinson will be called back to duty. I know Chip, and I dare say he is more than up to the task. I will be making a couple of trips to Morris to help out, I hope you all will join us in the effort to deliver the vote and the win for Jeff Grayzel.

Jeff Grayzel on election night, after the so called 5 vote win.