Tom Bullock Re-Elected To Lakewood City Council After Recount

LAKEWOOD, OH — The difference was 16 votes. That's what the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections said Thursday afternoon when it announced Tom Bullock will again be a Lakewood City Councilman. He retained his seat my a margin of 16 votes.

Bullock was squaring off with his fellow incumbent city councilperson Cindy Marx for an at-large seat at Lakewood City Council. Newcomers Meghan F. George and Tristan Rader took the other two seats outright.

The voting tally after the Nov. 7 election was 3,600 votes for Bullock, 3,584 votes for Marx. The difference between the two candidates was so thin it triggered an automatic recount by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

That recount was conducted Thursday, starting at 9 a.m. At 4 p.m. on Thursday, Patch received word that the recount had been completed and there had been no changes to the vote count. That meant Bullock would return to city council.

"I'm honored to have earned the opportunity to serve Lakewood once again. I remain as dedicated as ever to continuing Lakewood's remarkable success story: rising property values, transformed parks, beautified commercial areas, and strong schools. Lakewood is strong and thriving, and our best years are in front of us," Bullock told Patch.

He added that he has met with George and Rader to welcome them to council. He said he was looking forward to working with both.

Marx, however, was not so lucky. After being elected to council in 2014, she saw her tenure cut short by a 16 vote margin.

The final, official vote count is as follows:

• Tom Bullock. . . . . . . . . . 3,600
• Meghan F. George . . . . . . . . 5,032
• Cindy Marx . . . . . . . . . . 3,584
• Ryan P. Nowlin. . . . . . . . . 3,048
• Tristan Rader . . . . . . . . . 4,732
• Brian M. Taubman . . . . . . . . 2,992

A spokesperson for the Board of Elections said that 619 ballots, from two precincts, were hand counted during the recount process.

"The recount totals matched the Official Canvass totals. There was no change in this race," the spokesperson told Patch.

Bullock did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch