Longtime Horsham Township Councilman Loses Election

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —Horsham Township Councilman Mark McCouch will be ousted after two decades of government service as the remaining votes in Montgomery County have been counted in the Nov. 7 general election.

Montgomery County is expected to certify the results of the Nov. 7 general election on Monday after that certification was delayed for a week following a federal court ruling last week mandating the tabulation of mail-in ballots with missing or incorrect dates.

McCouch had led Democrat Ellen Zschunke following the Nov. 7 general election by 22 votes, garnering 3,977 votes to 3,955 for Zschunke with 100 percent of Montgomery County's 426 precincts reporting in unofficial results.

But the tally changed once the Montgomery Board of Elections counted military and overseas ballots, which can come in a week after Election Day.

With certification coming Monday, the tally now stands at Zschunke, 42, leading McCouch by 11 votes with 4,010 votes to 3,999 for McCouch.

McCouch, 63, a Republican who has served on the council for 20 years.

"The Horsham Democratic Committee is grateful that the people of Horsham have placed their trust in us, and we are confident that Sam and Ellen will do a fine job on the Township Council," said Paul B. Gallagher, co-chairman of the Horsham Democratic Committee.

Democratic newcomer Samatha Slaff topped the four candidates with 4,106 votes in winning a council seat while Republican challenger Stephen VanHorn finished fourth with 3,849 votes.

Slaff and Zschunke received more than 1,500 mail-in votes, triple the amount that McCouch and VanHorn had garnered during the general election.

"Horsham is a purple town (43 percent Democrat and 40 percent Republican), and it's only right that the Council should be purple as well," Gallagher said.

The Republicans will still hold a 3-2 majority on the council.