Though 87 absentee and early votes and questioned ballots will not be tallied until Thursday, the leaders after Tuesday’s municipal election appear likely to win on the final count.
Borough assembly candidate David Powell led Don McConachie Sr. by 47 votes after Tuesday’s election.
School board candidates Brittani Robbins and Angela Allen were ahead of their challengers by about 100 votes for two open seats.
And Jessica Whitaker led Julia Ostrander by 44 votes — 215 to 171 — for a one-year school board term.
Races for two other assembly seats and three port commission spots were uncontested.
The borough canvas board will meet Thursday to review and count the early and absentee ballots and certify the election.
The 489 ballots cast in the election — 402 on Tuesday, plus the early, absentee and questioned ballots — is almost the same total as the 483 ballots in last year’s municipal election.
Of the 402 ballots cast in-person Tuesday for the two, three-year terms on the school board, Robbins received 236 votes, Allen 235, Alex Angerman garnered 136 and Elizabeth Roundtree received 107.
The three school board winners will join David Wilson and Laura Ballou on the five-member board. They will replace Aaron Angerman, Cyni Crary and Patty Gilbert, who declined to run for reelection to the board.
Jim DeBord and incumbent Bob Dalrymple were not challenged in their election to the two three-year terms on the borough assembly. Dalrymple, who received 258 votes, currently serves on the assembly; DeBord, with 310 votes, previously served as an assembly member.
In the ballot contest for the one year remaining of an unexpired term on the assembly between Powell and McConachie, Powell received 222 votes to McConachie’s 175 on election day.
Powell is currently an assembly member. McConachie previously served on the assembly.
Incumbent Terry Courson did not seek reelection.
Powell said among the things he wants to accomplish are to finish negotiations with the borough employees union, get the ground and cultural survey work done at the former Wrangell Institute property so that development can proceed, and be involved in the search for a new borough manager.
The three assembly winners will join Mayor Steve Prysunka, Patty Gilbert, Ryan Howe and Anne Morrison on the body.
The three uncontested seats on the port commission were filled by incumbent Frank Roppel, who won the one-year term and received 358 votes; with three-year terms going to incumbent John Martin, with 312 votes, and newcomer Chris Buness, at 309 votes.
Port commission member Brian Merritt did not seek reelection. The port commission now consists of Roppel, Martin, John Yeager and Gary Morrison.
“Hear ye, hear ye, the polls are now closed,” a poll worker announced just outside the doors at the polling place at the Nolan Center, marking the close of voting at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
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