Recount Confirms O’Donnell’s Howell Council Spot

HOWELL, NJ - Howell Deputy Mayor Evelyn O’Donnell has been re-elected to another four-year term on the township council, a recount confirmed this week.

O’Donnell, a Republican, was challenged by Mayor Theresa Berger’s Democrat running mate Andre de Garmeaux during the Nov. 3 general election.

Berger won reelection by 16,615 to 14,392 votes. O’Donnell ran alongside mayoral candidate Suzanne Brennan.

The election day count saw O’Donnell receiving 50.51 percent of the vote (15,415 votes), with de Garmeaux earning 49.47 percent of the vote (15,095 votes), according to the last tally from the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office. The Nov. 3 outcome saw O'Donnell leading by nearly one percentage point.

While the recount saw O’Donnell picking up several more votes, an exact count was not immediately available.

According to an Asbury Park Press report, the price of the recount - requested nearly three weeks after Election Day - cost about $20,000 and three new COVID-19 cases.

De Garmeaux posted this concession statement via social media on Dec. 11:

“With all the concerns over “mail in” ballots and about a one percent difference between the candidates, a recount of ALL the votes was completed. After watching the recount up close and personal the concerns where not what you might have thought:

Many votes got mailed in “with-out” the ballot in the envelope, or with a PO Box as an address, or with no signature - and were therefore not counted.

When Provisional ballots were counted the system kicked them out as duplicate IF a vote had already been cast by mail - Preventing voter fraud.

The system they have in place (even with Covid restrictions) worked near flawlessly.

Redundancies are built in and the Commissioners and Staff work like hand and glove to make sure everyone's vote had a chance to be counted.

The recount left the race in about a one percent deficit for this rookie candidate.”

On Dec. 10, the Howell Township Republican County Committee posted a congratulatory message to O’Donnell on the seat win:

“The re-count requested by the Howell Democrats is over and Evelyn O'Donnell won again,” the committee wrote.

“Based on the election outcome, the Howell GOP will continue to maintain a majority on the township council and deliver responsible good government.”