Anna Bernasek, who had previously been appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Amagansett School Board, was formally elected to a full three-year term in Tuesday’s run-off vote.
Ms. Bernasek edged out William (Hank) Muchnic by one vote, 17 to 16.
Mr. Muchnic will continue to serve on the school board with a one-year term. The run-off vote was held to determine which candidate would get a three-year seat and which would get a one-year seat left over after a former board member moved out of the district. Ms. Bernasek and Mr. Muchnic had ended up in a tie during the initial election on May 21, with 151 votes each.
With the run-off election held the same day as a primary vote for East
Hampton Town offices, including the Democratic justice and trustee races, “vote here” signs were posted on both sides of Montauk Highway — some at the school, and some a short distance away at the Amagansett Firehouse, where primary voting took place.
The school board vote on Tuesday was a throwback to the days when ballots were deposited into a locked wooden box and counted by hand at the close of polling. In May, school officials said the district had spent about $296 to rent the electronic voting machines from Suffolk County and another $547 to pay a moving company to transport them.
This week, however, the electronic voting machines were instead used for the primary vote.