Election results: Norris and Manfre head to runoff for Palm Coast mayor race, Alfin out; two more races headed for recount

For the first time in six years, two Flagler County races will likely need to be recounted before the results can be called.

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Palm Coast will have a new mayor, though who wins the race will have to wait until November.

None of the five candidates for the race managed to secure more than 50% of the vote in the Aug. 20 primary election, sending it to a runoff in the general election. Candidates Mike Norris and Cornelia Manfre led the pack‚ and will face off in November. Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin trailed in third place with just 18% of the 20,000 ballots cast.

Similarly, the two Palm Coast City Council races will also be determined by a runoff in November, but two of Flagler County’s local races will also likely need to be recounted before the final results can be called. Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart said that this is the first time since 2018 that that has happened.

A recount is mandated when the candidates are within one half-percent of each other, she said.

"We won't know though if they are going to require a recount until after we count the provisional ballots cast during early voting and Election Day, and then also any referred mail ballots due to signature mismatch," she said. "Those ballots will be counted on Friday, Aug. 23 at 10 a.m."

The two races likely headed for a recount are the Palm Coast District 3 race and the Flagler County Commission District 5 race. 

In total, Flagler County had a voter turnout of 29.4%, or a total of 27,459 cast ballots.

Lenhart said she had been hoping the county would exceed a 30% voter turnout for the primary election.

Flagler County Commissioner Andy Dance, who won his reelection campaign, said seeing how close the races were in Flagler County this year just shows how important a primary election.

"A primary is just as important as a general election in November, even sometimes more so to our local government," Dance said. "I think 30%, we can do better than that."

Most of the local seats were decided with this election and, Dance said, "that's going to have a huge impact on our operations and moving forward."

The results for the primary election are as follows:

PALM COAST

Of the city’s three races, none of the candidates managed to secure more than 50% of the vote, meaning all three races will head to a runoff in the November election.

For the Palm Coast Mayor race, Norris leads with 31.3% of the vote, with Manfre close behind with 23.7%.

Though Norris could not be reached in time for publication, Manfre told the Observer she feels the results show Palm Coast residents are looking for accountability.

"I think that the public is looking for some accountability for our tax base and our performance with our tax money towards maintenance of essential services," she said. "So we have a tremendous amount of infrastructure expense that has to be planned out, and there has to be planning for maintenance of all of the above."

Ty Miller has a strong lead for the Palm Coast City Council District 1 race, with 44.5% of the vote. Behind him, Jeffrey Seib has 21.5% of the remaining ballots.

The city’s District 3 race will likely head for a recount. Andrew Werner has 34.38%, securing him a place in the general election. Dana Mark Stancel and Ray Stevens are .02% apart, with 32.8% and 32.82% of the remaining ballots — just a two-vote difference. 

FLAGLER COUNTY COMMISSION

Incumbent Dance won his race in a landslide victory of 70% of the 24,000 ballots cast. 

Dance said he was thankful for the support of his constituents during the campaign. A campaign, he said, was just another opportunity to receive "frank feedback" from the public. One of the areas the commission still needs to work on, he said, is the commission's communication with the public. 

"In many instances, we have open, honest dialog at the commission, and it seems as though it's messy to the public, but it's a conversation that has to happen in the open," Dance said. "I think what we have to continue to work on is getting the message out that even though it looks messy, we're doing the work that's necessary to make our community better."

Kim Carney likewise has nominally won her District 3 with 42.5% of the vote, assuming the write-in candidate pulls out of the race ahead of the general election.

The Commission’s District 5 race will also likely need to be recounted. Palm Coast Vice Mayor Ed Danko has 49.87% of the vote, while Pam Richardson has 50.13%, within the half-percent threshold for a recount. The two are separated by just 40 votes.

The District 5 race also has a write-in candidate, but, should he withdraw ahead of the November election, either Danko or Richardson will take the seat.

FLAGLER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

Lauren Ramirez has won the District 5 seat with 60% of the 24,000 ballots, and Janie Ruddy just beat out Derek Barrs for the District 3 seat, with 50.58% of the votes to Barrs’ 49.42%. Ruddy and Barrs' race is separated by less than 300 votes.

Ruddy said she is tentatively celebrating the win, but ultimately waiting until the Friday morning results because of how close her race is. But she said she feels her win is "a testament to the passion" of those who supported her.

"I think that it shows that one thing we can agree upon across party lines is that we care very much about providing the best for our children," Ruddy said.

 

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