Johnson County school board candidate withdraws request for recount, closing election
A Gardner Edgerton school board candidate who asked for a recount in his race earlier this week has now withdrawn that request, meaning the Johnson County election has officially come to a close.
Allen Vonderschmidt, who ran for the school board as part of a conservative slate, requested a recount on Wednesday, after Johnson County certified last week’s election results. Vonderschmidt lost his race against incumbent Katie Williams, the majority-conservative board’s lone progressive. Williams won by 39 votes in Johnson County, with 50.6%, defeating Vonderschmidt, with 49.4%.
As of Friday, Williams had picked up 16 votes in Miami County, while Vonderschmidt won 18 votes there. If those results stay the same, Williams will have won by 37 votes. Miami County’s canvass is on Friday.
But Vonderschmidt withdrew his request Thursday night, according to the election office. The candidate would have been responsible for paying for the recount, which was estimated to cost more than $11,200, according to Jody Hanson, a county spokeswoman.
No other candidate had requested a recount as of Thursday’s 5 p.m. deadline. The election results certified by the Board of County Canvassers on Wednesday will now stand without further review.
Vonderschmidt’s race wasn’t the only close one in the Gardner Edgerton district after last Tuesday, when Williams and Vonderschmidt were separated by 29 votes on election night. The at-large race also was also too close to call until officials results were released this week.
Heath Freeman, who like Williams was backed by Democrats, won the at-large race by only 25 votes, receiving 50.3% of the vote, to challenger Threasa Lang’s 49.6%, according to official results. In Miami County, Freeman won an additional 12 votes as of Friday, and Lang had won 21. If those results stay the same, Freeman will have won by 16 votes.
Two incumbents, Russell Ellis and Jeff Miller, also won reelection to the Gardner Edgerton school board in their races last week.
