Coin Toss Decides City Council Election

LUBBOCK, Texas -- A winner has been chosen by a coin toss in a Texas city council election.

Bruce MacNair won Friday's flip that decided the race between him and Bryan Studer.

The two had agreed to have a coin toss decide the contest for a seat on the Wolfforth (WOOL-furth) city council after both received 118 votes in last weekend's election.

The men wanted to save the tiny city the $10,000 cost of a run-off election.

Wolfforth is a bedroom community near Lubbock with about 3,700 residents.

Texas election law provides three options in the event of a tie: a runoff election, one candidate conceding or some form of casting lots.

Wolfforth city manager Darrell Newsom says the candidates made a gentlemanly decision.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A coin toss on Friday will decide the outcome of a West Texas city council election in which the candidates received the same number of votes.

Candidates Bruce MacNair and Bryan Studer agreed to the coin flip because they didn't want the city of Wolfforth to pay $10,000 for a run-off election after they both received 118 votes in last weekend's election.

"The term gentlemen comes to mind," Wolfforth city manager Darrell Newsom said of the candidates' decision. "It's the gentlemanly thing to do, and they're acting in a gentlemanly fashion."

The city attorney drew up a three-page contract outlining rules of the coin toss based on state election procedures for municipalities.

Texas election law provides three options in the event of a tie: a runoff election, one candidate conceding or some form of casting lots.

The candidates, who've never held public office, will draw for who gets heads and who gets tails in the 2:30 p.m. CDT coin toss. MacNair's name comes first alphabetically, so he will draw first.

Newsom will use a 1974 Eisenhower silver dollar to decide the election.

Wolfforth, a bedroom community near Lubbock, has about 3,700 residents.

via Weird News on HuffingtonPost.com http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/18/texas-city-council-coin-toss_n_1528501.html