'Head' of state: Incumbent Danny DeRossett wins coin flip for Spencer mayor spot

MEDINA TWP. — Nov. 5 will be an election day Spencer Village mayoral candidates Danny DeRossett and James Stangel will never forget. After counting all the provisional votes, the two men each had 82 votes. The Medina County Board of Elections certified the Nov. 5 general election Tuesday. So, how do they break ties? By a coin flip, of course. DeRossett, the incumbent, called heads when elections board member John Welker flipped a quarter into the air. Stangel insisted that DeRossett should make the call since he was the incumbent. The lucky quarter did the rest. It landed with a left-facing profile of George Washington facing up. They gave DeRossett the quarter to keep for a memento. "I'll put it on the wall," he said. For now, he'll be the mayor — at least until the recount at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 4. DeRossett has served two elected terms as Spencer's mayor and completed an unfinished term for Tommy Ramey, who died in 2013 at age 80 while still in office. He said it's been uneasy not knowing the outcome of the election since Nov. 5. "Mr. Stangel was one vote ahead of me in the unofficial count," DeRossett said. "We knew they'd be a recount at some time. We got a call (Monday) from the Board of Elections and they had counted the provisional ballots and it ended up in a tie. They told us then there would be a coin flip. We talked on the phone and said we'd both be there. "Mr. Stangel will retain his Council seat and we'll continue business as usual unless something happens in the recount." Stangel said he wasn't a big fan of a coin flip. "You're taking all the voters out of the vote," he said. DeRossett disagreed. "I think the message that should be brought out is that in any election, every vote counts," he said. "Those people that don't vote result in an election like this. If we had more voters that took an interest in the issues and the candidates, they could express what they want." DeRossett said he's worked well with Stangel in the past and expects to do the same in the future. "Nothing is going to change," Stangel said. "We will do what we can to move Spencer forward," DeRossett said. There were 243 provisional votes tabulated by the Board of Elections, but the only ones that mattered to Ward 1 City Councilperson Jess Hazeltine. She edged incumbent Bob Starcher, 370 votes to 366 votes. She will take over immediately as Starcher was appointed earlier this year when Laura Parnell-Cavey resigned. Hazeltine will be sworn in Friday. The four-vote edge wasn't enough to trigger a recount. Her supporters said she was "beside herself" after waiting two weeks. "I'm very excited," Hazeltine said. "I'm really looking forward to working with Council and continuing the progress (it) has made this past year. The future of Medina is bright and I am honored that the residents of Ward 1 chose me to represent them." Other close races were decided after the provisional votes were added: In the Lodi Village mayor race, incumbent Robert Geissman topped challenger Letha Mapes, 247-243. There will be no automatic recount. In the Lafayette Township fiscal officer race, Laura Ruebensaal topped Shirley Bailey, 400-392. There will be no automatic recount. In the Spencer Township trustee race, Jeff Wallace topped Mark Hopkins, 274-269. There will be no automatic recount. Contact reporter Bob Finnan at (330) 721-4049 or rfinnan@medina-gazette.com.