MIDDLEBURG -- Incumbent Pete Carroll drew the winning numbered ball from a small wicker basket Friday to garner the Republican nomination for Selinsgrove mayor, ending a 14-vote tie between himself and former Mayor Garry Beaver.
With his lucky draw, Carroll won the GOP mayoral nomination with the support of 1 percent of Republican voters in the borough. The borough of Selinsgrove has about 5,300 residents and 1,324 registered Republicans.
The informal drawing was held at the Snyder County Courthouse and was attended by Carroll, his wife, Frances, Elections Director Pat Nace and Chief Clerk Lee Knepp.
Beaver, who served as mayor for 12 years until 2005, did not attend the drawing and couldn't be reached Friday for comment.
Each candidate received 14 write-in votes for mayor in last month's primary election.
To settle the tie, Nace put two white balls in a basket and designated whoever chose the ball numbered 1 would be the nominee.
"I wish Garry were here," Carroll said seconds before he selected the ball.
The simple tie-breaker doesn't fully put the issue to rest, though.
Carroll is also a candidate for Selinsgrove Borough Council, having won both Republican and Democratic nominations in the May 19 primary.
Although he could have backed out of the mayoral race, he chose to stay in to allow for "the will of the people" who wrote his name on the ballot.
"I didn't ask people to write me in, but I wanted to play this out," Carroll said.
The borough mayor's duties include overseeing the police department, breaking tie-votes by council and performing weddings.
Nace said Carroll can opt to run for both posts and would have to drop one if he wins both races.
"You might as well keep your options open," Knepp said.
In the event he's elected to both offices, Carroll would have to immediately give one up and the council would appoint a replacement to fill the vacant seat for two years until the next municipal election in 2011.
n E-mail comments to mmoore@dailyitem.com
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