An official recount Monday confirmed it: Athens city law director Pat Lang will be the next Athens County Common Pleas Court Judge.
Lang, also an Ohio University alumnus, sent out a release Monday officially accepting the position as the Democratic candidate for the office. Since no Republican ran for that party’s nomination, there is no challenger on tap for the general election in the fall.
“I am deeply honored by the results of this election, and by the trust given me by the voters of Athens County,” Lang, said in a news release following the announcement. “I will strive every day to uphold the dignity of the court, and to treat every person who comes before it with fairness and respect
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The Athens County Board of Elections has not yet made a statement with details on the official recount, which ended almost a month of speculation about who the official winner of the race would be.
Prior to the recount, Lang held a narrow four point lead over fellow candidate Todd Grace, 1614-1610.
Athens County Board of Elections workers were tasked with counting a total of 3,928 ballots Monday, director Debbie Quivey said last week. These not only included votes cast in the election for the judgeship, but also those cast in all races held on the May 6 primary.
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I congratulate Mr. Grace on what was obviously a very strong campaign, and I thank the staff of the Board of Elections for all of their extra efforts in ensuring the accuracy of the vote,” Lang said in the release.
