The Glenwood trustee candidate who lost the coin toss that decided a tie vote may contest the election results, pending findings from a discovery recount.
Rodrick Murdock, the only candidate on Village President Toleda Hart’s slate who did not win a board seat, tied with incumbent Felicia Brown, who ran on former Village President Ronald Gardiner’s Glenwood Progress Party slate, with each receiving 617 votes, according to the Cook County clerk’s election results.
“At one point, I thought that I was winning the election. The opposing party didn’t want to concede because they thought the vote was too close,” Murdock said. “We have a right to challenge the ballots to make certain that there’s nothing wrong about the ballots, meaning that if there’s wrong addresses on the postmarks, the signatures and things of that sort.”
Steve Laduzinsky, the attorney representing Murdock, said when his office conducted a discovery recount for one of Glenwood’s voting precincts, they found “irregularities” involving the envelopes mail-in ballots were delivered in. However, no formal complaint has been filed, he said.
“We are researching what any effect those would have on the outcome of election,” Laduzinsky said. “The next step is if my client decides to go forward, we file a petition for election contest, and that’s filed in the circuit court of Cook County.”
Laduzinsky said he could not share specific details about the findings from the discovery recount at this time.
An 1899 silver dollar determined April 22 that Brown will keep her seat on the Village Board for another term. That same day, Brown said she was notified that Murdock’s attorneys were conducting a recount.
“I mean, how can you challenge the coin toss?” Brown said. “It was on video. It was all on tape. And all of a sudden now you’re filing the same day, and you’re trying to go against a coin toss. But if he won, he wouldn’t go against a coin toss.”
Just 1,560 of Glenwood’s 7,027 registered voters cast ballots in the April 1 election for a turnout of 22%, according to the clerk’s office.
Under Illinois law, when two or more candidates are tied, the county clerk shall determine by lot which of them is to be declared elected, the clerk’s office said.
Any candidate within 5% of winning their contest may request a discovery recount in 25 percent of their contest’s precincts, the clerk’s office previously told the Daily Southtown. The request must list the precincts the petitioner wishes to have recounted and include a payment of $10 per precinct. A discovery recount does not change the results of an election, but can be used by a candidate in an election contest proceeding in court.
A discovery recount is an evidence-gathering exercise and does not alter the results of the election, the clerk’s office said.
“It just seemed ironic that it happened like it did,” Murdock said. “And since she didn’t concede, I’m not conceding.”
The county clerk’s office has previously decided tied elections through coin tosses for Sauk Village trustee in 2019, Stickney trustee in 2013, Broadview trustee in 2011, Bedford Park trustee in 2007 and Berwyn School District 98.
Hundreds of residents attended the swearing-in ceremony at Glenwoodie Golf Course May 6, where Hart was sworn in as mayor, along with Clerk Jesse Durden and Trustees Felicia Brown, Edward Hadnott and Michelle Mosley, according to a post on the village’s Facebook after the event.
The post also noted the ceremony served as an opportunity to thank outgoing Mayor Ron Gardiner, Clerk Camiella Williams and Trustees Ron Clark and Dion Lynch for their service to the community.
After the election, the Progress Party said in a Facebook post they aim to ensure a smooth transition to the new administration.
Brown, a Glenwood resident since 1979, aims to establish a homeowners association and create a resident subcommittee focused on neighborhood watch, beautification, recreation, business networking, and health and wellness, according to campaign information on the Progress Party’s Facebook page. She also plans to pursue financial resources to reduce village expenses, collaborate with the administration on firm budget deadlines and develop youth programs.
Murdock is a retired Phoenix police officer, and his experience in law enforcement has given him insight into the needs of the community, according to the Glenwood Strong Party’s website. A Chicago native, Murdock began serving the hearing-impaired community in 2000 and was active in ministry work at Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. He also founded a nonprofit horseback riding organization.
smoilanen@chicagotribune.com
