YOUNGSTOWN – Janet Tarpley saw her three-vote lead in Youngstown council’s 6th Ward Democratic primary race evaporate when provisional ballots were counted, and is now in a tie with incumbent Councilwoman Anita Davis, who would win if the numbers hold up.

Meanwhile, a Beloit village fire levy that finished in a 49-49 tie during the primary, with one uncounted vote, ended up losing when that voter opposed the tax measure.

If the Youngstown council’s 223-223 results remain unchanged after a recount, set for next Tuesday, Davis would be the winner because Tarpley lost a Thursday coin flip to break a tie at the Mahoning County Board of Elections.

After saying, “I can’t believe it” when she lost the coin flip, Tarpley left the board room and started screaming expletives in the hall about the race being crooked and that everyone in the 6th Ward would move out because of the election results. Tarpley’s tirade could be heard in the board room through the open door.

She wasn’t any less angry when talking to reporters though she did not use any expletives.

“We have the flip of a coin who decided who’s going to win; unbelievable,” Tarpley said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life, and I guarantee we will never see anything like this again. Only in Mahoning County, only in the city of Youngstown does this stuff happen. I am so disappointed. I’m not disappointed for me. I’m disappointed for the people.”

Tarpley added: “I can’t believe it. I’m really disappointed. We need to come up with a better way to fix this particular problem.”

Though tie votes are very infrequent, the Mahoning elections board flips a coin when they occur before the recount to determine winners if the final results remain tied.

The Ohio secretary of state’s directive regarding tie votes states that “the candidate declared the winner as decided by lot at the end of the official canvass (which was Thursday) remains the declared winner after the recount. The board must not break the tie again. The original result stands.”

With a special Aug. 8 election on a state constitutional amendment set, Tarpley said voters in her ward should have the opportunity to vote for her or Davis again. That would not be permissible under state law for breaking ties.

Tarpley said she didn’t believe Tuesday’s recount would change any votes.

Past hand counts by Mahoning board employees occasionally have changed votes, but such changes are infrequent.

Asked if the elections board acted improperly, Tarpley said, “I really don’t know. I just can’t believe this.”

‘OK, WHATEVER’

Reached by phone after the meeting and told of the tie, Davis said, “On a coin flip?” and laughed.

She added: “OK, whatever.”

Without the three provisional votes, Tarpley was winning 223-220. Davis ended up getting the votes of all three provisional ballots when the board certified the results Thursday.

When that was publicly disclosed, Tarpley said, “Oh, my God.”

Tarpley has avoided declaring victory, waiting for the board to finalize the vote, and saying she was very concerned about the final outcome.

Davis, a retired Youngstown police detective sergeant, succeeded Tarpley in 2015 on council and is seeking a third four-year term.

Tarpley, who worked for the Mahoning County Juvenile Court before her 2018 retirement, couldn’t run for a third council term in 2015 because the city’s term limits law at the time prohibited it. The law was repealed in 2018 and then reinstated by voters in 2022 to take effect with this year’s election.

Board Chairman David Betras had said at a May 10 meeting that he was looking forward to flipping the coin in case of a tie. But he was 20 minutes late to the meeting, which led to vice chairman Sandra Barger doing the honors.

Right before the flip, board member Joyce Kale-Pesta said, “There’s no winners when you flip a coin.”

Barger gave a half-hearted flip after Tarpley called heads. The quarter landed on tails.

When Betras came in after the flip and learned he missed it, he said, “Oh, darn it.” and “I live for the flip, and the one time I get to do it I’m late.”

BELOIT LEVY

The one late arriving absentee in Beloit led to the defeat of the village’s 6-mill additional levy.

If a tax levy had finished in a tie, the issue would have been defeated because it failed to gain a majority as required for issues by state law.

With the one additional ballot counted, the margin of defeat was 1.02 percent. Automatic recounts take place when the margin is 0.5 of a percent or less.

Board Director Tom McCabe previously had said the board would have a recount for the levy because it was only 99 votes and it would be decided by one vote.

But McCabe said Thursday: “The more we talked about it, we decided no. It would set a precedent.”

If village officials want a recount, it would cost $65 and they must tell the board of elections no later than 10 days after Thursday’s certification that they want one and they’ll pay for it.

The tax levy would have raised $61,194 per year and was for a continuing period of time, meaning it would last for as long as village officials choose to collect it.

The same levy failed in the November 2022 election 151-146.