Single vote decides second council member in Nashua special election

Bob Fenske, New Hampton Tribune

Don’t ever let anyone tell you a single vote doesn’t matter. One ballot determined who is a new member of the Nashua City Council and who isn’t in a special election held Tuesday.

Residents were charged with picking two new City Council members because of resignations that took place this past fall, and former Mayor Angie Dietz got the first seat with 83 votes.

The second open seat came down to a battle between newcomer Hal Kelleher III and former City Council member Rolland Cagley. According to unofficial results, Kelleher won with 73 votes, compared to Cagley’s 72.

Tuesday’s election results won’t be official until they are canvassed by the Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors on Monday morning.

Assuming the results stand, Dietz and Kelleher are expected to be sworn in at Monday night’s City Council meeting, the first of the year in Nashua because the three-person council could not muster a quorum for its first two regularly scheduled meetings of 2018.

“I feel honored to have the citizens allow me to be their City Council member,” said Dietz, who did not seek re-election as mayor in the fall. “I look forward to working though all the issues that come up and working together with the rest of the council.”

Kelleher was ecstatic with the results.

“Super! That’s a surprise, with the names that were on the ballot,” he said. “I’m excited to start and looking forward to this and it will be great.”

The special election was called after Councilman Kyle Lane resigned in October and Councilwoman Brenda Roberts resigned the following month.

The City Council originally approved the appointment of Kristen Nosbisch to fill Lane’s term, but a group of residents gathered enough signatures to call for a special election.

Tuesday’s two winners will serve out the terms through Dec. 31, 2019.

Cagley could still call for a recount after the results are canvassed by the Board of Supervisors.

“Right now, state law says he has to wait until the supervisors do what they need to do,” said Chickasaw County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Joan Knoll.

Tuesday’s election was marked by light turnout as just 143 of Nashua’s 1,116 registered voters — 12.8 percent — cast ballots.

— This story includes information from the Nashua Reporter’s Jennifer Lantz.