Vaules Drops Council Race Contest Before Hearing In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Third Ward Council challenger Amie Vaules has dropped her lawsuit contesting the results of the race, confirming that incumbent Councilman Jody Levchuk will keep his seat.

Vaules announced the news in a statement the day before her challenge was set to be heard in court.

Levchuk's razor-thin lead in the election - 402 votes to Vaules' 400 - was what sparked the initial lawsuit. Vaules had claimed that two mail-in ballots were not counted that should have counted towards her, and also claimed that Levchuk's brother, Randy Levchuk, should have not had his vote counted as he didn't reside in Ocean City.

Levchuk referenced this lawsuit at his swearing-in earlier this month. "Some people haven't done their homework, and it's a shame what that man is going through," a visibly emotional Levchuk said at the time. Read more: Ocean City Council Reorganizes With Some Tension

In a statement, Vaules acknowledged those two mail-in ballots "were received after the legally permissible timeframe under New Jersey law. This delay was not the fault of the voters; the ballots were sent on time but were not received by the county in time to be counted."

She also mentioned the question of Randy Levchuk's residency.

"It is important to clarify that despite claims made by my opponent to the press, no subpoenas were issued during our inquiry into his voting arrangement," Vaules said. "Subpoenas are issued solely by the court, not by private citizens."

Vaules congratulated Levchuk on his victory.

"It has been a privilege to meet and work with so many wonderful people," Vaules said. "My ultimate goal has always been to ensure that Ocean City has the most effective, upstanding government possible."