After a ballot recount that took nearly 12 hours on December 12, Michael Sutphin was confirmed as Blacksburg’s mayor-elect by 18 votes—the same margin from the initial ballot count.
In the recount, Sutphin received 5,574 votes (50.08%) and his opponent Pete Macedo received 5,556 votes (49.91%). The initial ballot count from November 4 had Sutphin at 5,573 votes (49.35%) and Macedo at 5,555 votes (49.19%).
Standing under a star-studded sky—finally clear after a day of snow flurries—mayor-elect Sutphin addressed reporters: “It was a very long day, kind of stressful. I’d definitely like to thank everyone at the Montgomery County of Elections. I’d like to thank Pete for a very hard fought race. If there’s any lesson to be learned from this election it’s that every vote matters. At the end of the day, I’m the mayor but it’s very important for all perspectives in town to be taken into consideration when we’re making decisions and moving forward together as a community.”…