Recount set in University Heights after write-ins produce narrow winners

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS - Tuesday's elections were big for several area communities, with Cedar Rapids voters rejecting a library levy and Iowa City's Core Four of candidates sweeping the council election.

But one of Johnson County's smaller communities, University Heights, a city of less than 800 registered voters, flew under the radar with not only the highest voter turnout in the county, but also an election so close that it forced an administrative recount.

Two major factors led to the University Heights recount; the contentious nature of the University Heights election, which saw a slate of four write-in candidates announced about one week ago that drove up voter turnout; and the fact that so many write-in votes were cast.

'When you mix the uniqueness of the number of write-ins with how politically active and how the voter turnout is in University Heights, it makes a really interesting combination,” said Carrie Nierling, deputy director of elections with the Johnson County Auditor's Office. 'It's not unheard of ... but it's definitely not your normal election.”

Results as of Tuesday night show write-in candidate Weldon Heitman edging out incumbent Mayor Louise From by six votes.

In the council race, incumbents Mike Haverkamp, Jim Lane and Silvia Quezada, along with newcomer Dorothy Maher, were clear winners, according to the auditor's office.

The fifth seat has write-in candidates Jerry Zimmerman and Shahzad Ali split by a single vote, with Zimmerman ahead.

Those results could change after the recount. or by next week's canvass of votes.

Voter turnout among the city's 799 registered voters was nearly 57 percent. The next closest turnout in Johnson County was the almost 34 percent turnout in Oxford, where voters weighed in on a library levy.

'That's more like what you see in a governor's election than in a city council election,” said John Deeth, clerk with the auditor's office.

But that isn't necessarily rare for University Heights, which had just over 60 percent voter turnout in 2013 and just under 60 percent turnout in 2011, with the latter election resulting in a recount after the winner of the fifth and final council seat came down to a difference of two votes.

'To sustain that is remarkable,” Deeth said of the city's voter turnout.

The auditor's office will first need approval from the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to conduct the administrative recount, with officials planning to get an answer during Thursday's board meeting.

Nierling said the hope is to have the absentee board begin the recount at noon Thursday, with the entire process likely taking several hours.

'There are some variables there that make it impossible to give a firm timeline, but we are anticipating late afternoon that they'll be wrapping up,” she said.

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com