Councillor unseated after losing coin toss

A sworn councillor has been unseated and a new one elected after the toss of a coin in Queenstown.

The court-ordered coin toss yesterday followed a vote recount found Queenstown residents Anthony (AJ) Mason and Glyn Lewers both had 2183 votes for the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

They were tied for the final seat around the council table.

The first vote count had Mason in the lead by one vote and he was sworn in to the new council last week on the same day a judge ordered the recount. Lewers will now take his seat.

It had been a ‘‘roller-coaster ride’’ after the coin toss went in his favour, Lewers said.

Mason said he was disappointed.

In a decision released yesterday, Judge Mark Callaghan said the manual recount showed one vote for Mason had been incorrectly counted.

‘‘The vote was for candidate Valerie Miller but a small mark was left in the area next to the candidate AJ Mason’s name.

‘‘This was incorrectly picked up by the vote counting software as a vote for the candidate AJ Mason.’’

The last seat would be determined by a coin toss, he said. Lewers took heads and Mason tails.

A council spokesperson said that he was awaiting the final cost of the recount.

‘‘This will be paid for via insurance taken out by QLDC.’’

It is not the first council seat to be decided by coin toss this year.

Anthony Mason

Glyn Lewers

A tied vote in the Murupara-Galatea ward of the Whakata¯ ne District Council elections resulted in a coin toss won by Hinerangi Goodman.

According to electoral law, tied positions were to be decided by ‘‘lot’’.

Queenstown’s Lakes councillors are paid $32,428.