Friday, September 05, 2008

Dowe Drops Out

Deborah Dowe, the Republican candidate for the four-year Citywide at-large City Council seat, has dropped out, the Union County Clerk's office confirmed today.

Dowe declined comment Friday when reached at home Friday. To see her past civic involvement, click here.

Her withdrawal on Aug. 26 leaves all three council candidates officially unopposed in the November general election, although at least one unofficial opponent has confirmed a write-in campaign. The candidates are Democratic primary winners Annie McWilliams for the city-wide at-large seat and Adrian Mapp for the Third Ward seat. Democratic Councilman William Reid, a January appointee for the unexpired term of former First Ward Councilman and now Freeholder Rayland Van Blake, is also running unopposed.

Republicans have until Sept. 17 to name a replacement for Dowe to be placed on the ballot.

In the June primary, McWilliams bested City Council President Harold Gibson for the line and Mapp defeated Councilman Don Davis to be on the November 4 ballot.

McWilliams is the daughter of the late two-term Mayor Albert T. McWilliams and Mapp is a former city councilman and Union County freeholder who also supported the late mayor. Mapp posted a tribute to him on his new blog. Click here to view the blog.

Longtime activist Brenda Gilbert has confirmed that she is mounting a write-in campaign to oppose Mapp.

There are unconfirmed reports that other people are planning write-in campaigns.

Among the hazards of write-in campaigns, voters must print the exact name of the candidate. A precedent was sent when the former Mayor McWilliams launched a write-in campaign in 2005 after losing a third-term bid in the primary. Voters wrote in a number of variations on the spelling, subject to interpretation.

The write-in results were not posted on the county web site. It was left to election observers to flesh out the results. The write-in votes were not enough for McWilliams to win the general election.

Write-in results on Nov. 4 will not be revealed for several days after the election, according to the County Clerk's office.

--Bernice Paglia

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