Wade Carlson held onto his one-vote lead after a recount of the Dacono mayor’s race, a victory he will savor almost as much as a landslide.
“I now have a mandate of one vote,” Carlson joked Tuesday.
Carlson, the incumbent, and challenger Larry Johnston tied with 366 votes each after the Nov. 7 general election. A tally of three provisional ballots put Carlson ahead by one vote, prompting a state-mandated recount of all the 735 votes cast for mayor.
The recount began Tuesday at 1 p.m. and ended about 3:30 p.m., with Carlson leading 368-367 and being declared the official winner.
The recount, which involved members of Weld County’s canvass board and staff members, will cost Dacono about $4,000, Weld County Clerk and Recorder Steve Moreno said.
If, for whatever reason, Tuesday’s recount had resulted in a tie vote, the winner would have been decided by a game of chance such as a flip of the coin or the drawing of straws.
Carlson was happy it did not come to that. “I tried to go along with the business of the day and not to let this affect me,” Carlson said. “But tonight I’ll probably collapse.”
Johnston could not be reached for comment. But he said recently he ran against Carlson because the mayor was not doing enough to bring a larger tax base into the city of 3,700.
Johnston’s complaint was echoed by others in Dacono, and Carlson vows to work hard to gain their trust.
“I took some random interviews from folks who didn’t vote for me, and now I’m going to share those concerns with the council,” Carlson said. “I now know where I stand.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
