Baker Hill council post 2 election questioned

By Anastasia Harbuck

Published: October 2, 2008

Incumbent Jerome Trawick was recently declared winner of the Baker Hill town council election for post 2 that took place in August, but controversy still surrounds his re-election to this position.

During the elections, opponent Clarence Young’s name was still on the ballot despite the fact that he withdrew from the race only a few weeks after he registered to qualify as a candidate in early July.

“That is true,“ said Jimmy Cochran, mayor of Baker Hill. “The ballots were ordered and were already printed and delivered (by the time Young withdrew his nomination).“

He said correcting the ballots would be a financial inconvenience and they were left the way they were. Cochran said this action was legal and it was unnecessary to remove Young’s name from the ballots.

According to Cochran, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in 1955 that a vote cast in favor of a “deceased, disqualified or ineligible” candidate did not count in favor of that person, but did count against the other candidate, like a “none of the above” vote.

More on this story in the upcoming edition of The Tribune.