Politics & Government

Mayoral Runoff Race Will Cost Avon Lake Between $25,000 and $30,000

Dec. 6 runoff means paying poll workers, printing ballots

Mayoral candidate Greg Zilka may have been half-joking when he said voters could save the city money by electing him mayor by a majority vote on Nov. 8.

"I have a suggestion on between $20,000 and $25,000,” Zilka said at the Dec. 27 Candidates' Night. “If you all vote for me we wont have a runoff and we’ll save that money.”

Avon Lake's charter requires the mayor to earn a majority vote. 

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When the polls closed, it was clear with the top vote getter earning only 40 percent of the votes, a Dec. 6 runoff between Zilka and KC Zuber was evident. That races comes at a price.

Lorain County Board of Elections Director Paul Adams said the runoff race will cost the city of Avon Lake between $25,000 and $30,000.

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 “The city of Avon Lake will bear the entire cost of the election,” Adams said.

Unlike the cost of the General Election, where the cost was spread out over a number of races and issues, Avon Lake voters will see only one issue on the Dec. 6 ballot—the mayor’s race.

“The bulk of that cost is paying for poll workers,” Adams said, but added the cost of printing the ballots, machine supplies, posters and other election-related items have to be paid for by the city.

“The cost will immediately be paid for the county, but Avon Lake will have to pay it back,” Adams said.

Adams noted that runoffs like the Dec. 6 one—and the costs involved—could be avoided if the city had Primary Elections with those winners moving on to the General Election.  


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