Bath incumbents reelected; two tied

Mayor Susan Webster, Town Recorder Garnet Marsh and four Bath Town Council members won new two-year terms in the municipal election on Tuesday, June 12.

Webster beat write-in mayoral candidate Barbara Campbell by 108 to 55 votes, or 66% to 34%.

Returning council members are David Crosby, Kenny Easton, Nancy Harvey and Dale Lutman.

Dave Duncan and Scott Merki tied at 65 votes each for the fifth seat, which had been vacant since the resignation of former councilman Tom Hall earlier this year.

Vote totals for the council candidates were: Crosby, 115; Harvey, 102; Lutman, 95;

Easton, 91; Duncan, 65; Merki, 65; Jim Slough, 51; Ryan Rebant, 44; and Michelle Ritchie, 36.

Marsh received 118 votes in her unopposed bid for reelection as town recorder.

Of the 534 registered voters in Berkeley Springs, 173 (or 32%) cast ballots.

There were 11 provisional or challenged ballots. Of those, six were rejected by the Board of Canvass due to voters being registered in a precinct outside of town and one rejected for not being registered to vote.

Procedure for tie

The election results will be certified by town council on Thursday, June 21.

Either Scott Merki or Dave Duncan may request a recount in writing before certification of election results. The person requesting a recount must post a $300 bond to cover the cost of the recount.



If no recount is requested before the election is certified, the town council will resolve the tie. They may decide the fifth councilman by a vote, by flipping a coin or by drawing a name from a hat.

Council commended Sandy Matts and Dianne Yost for their work as ballot commissioners during the election.