Most importantly, the winner of Shelbyville’s 2023 mayoral election has been determined.
The side note was the recount that needed a recount.
When the 2023 November election was complete, Scott Furgeson, former two-time mayor and current councilman, was proclaimed the winner by a narrow 19-vote margin over Democrat Nic Weber, 1406-1387.
That prompted a recount request by the Shelby County Democrats that was conducted Wednesday inside Shelby Circuit Court. The recount commission was comprised of Democrat Mark McNeely and Republican Jaclyn Tweedy, both Shelbyville attorneys, with Johnson County 1st Deputy Clerk Amy Briggs.
The recount commission announced its findings to the candidates and supporters in the courtroom. The final numbers still showed Furgeson as the winner but had adjusted to 1396-1371. That vote tally was 26 total votes less than the November outcome and declared Furgeson a winner by 25 votes.
However, it left the Shelby County Clerk Jill Taylor and Election Officer Jeff Sponsel with questions. Those were quickly answered by the following letter that was issued to Judge Trent Meltzer and the Shelby Circuit Court early Wednesday afternoon.
Dear Judge Meltzer,
Concerned about the discrepancy between the Recount Board and the Election night totals, my office reviewed the released materials and came to the conclusion that an error was made by the Recount Board. They did not take into account votes cast by marking straight party on the mail ballot absentees. After reviewing these ballots, we can confirm that the Election night totals were accurate with Furgeson receiving 40 and Weber receiving 51.
Below is a list of straight party votes for each candidate by each precinct.
Precinct Furgeson Weber
1 North 5 2
1 South 0 0
1 West 0 1
2 East 0 0
2 South 0 1
2 Southeast 0 0
2 West 1 0
3 East 0 3
3 Northeast 0 0
3 South 2 0
3 West 0 0
4 East 1 6
4 North 0 2
4 Northeast 0 1
5 East 1 0
5 Northwest 0 0
5 South 0 0
Sincerely,
Jill Taylor
Shelby County Clerk
Furgeson is now less than four weeks from returning to the mayor’s office.
For Nic Weber, he'll be looking at what his future holds in the near and long term.
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