Jefferson County: Tighe topples incumbent

Casey Tighe is the new 2nd District Jefferson County commissioner.

The county clerk and recorder certified all the votes for the 2012 General Election on Nov. 21, and the final tally put the Democratic candidate Tighe ahead of appointed incumbent John Odom by 738 votes. Tighe's 136,164 votes gave him just enough of a cushion to avoid triggering a mandatory recount.

“I'm honored by the voters of Jefferson County, and I hope I do a good job,” Tighe said last week.

The race results remain close enough that Odom or the Republican Party could request a recount, though he would be responsible for funding it. A recount could begin as early as this week, and would be expected to take five business days.

Odom could not be reached over the Thanksgiving weekend.

There were several close races in Jefferson County this year, but none triggered an automatic recount. The county certified its vote results on the day before Thanksgiving.

“Our elections staff performs a tremendous amount of work after Election Day to ensure that our accounting for this election balances and every eligible vote is counted,” said Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson in a released statement.

Anderson's office reported a total of 313,662 ballots were counted in this election, which is the highest number of ballots cast in an election in Jefferson County. Turnout for this election was at 96 percent of all active registered voters.

When the polls closed on election night, Odom had been in the lead by 133 votes.

“I was a little worried and disappointed, but still had hope,” Tighe said.

Thousands of other ballots were counted after Election Day though, including military, oversea, and provisional ballots. Those ballots provided the 871-vote swing needed to grant Tighe the win.

Tighe thanked his campaign manager Audrey Kline, and the coordination of the Jeffco Democratic Party for pulling out the close win.

“I also think that voters in Jefferson County really listen to what a candidate says, and not just voting the party card,” Tighe said.

Tighe will be sworn in and take office in January, alongside his fellow commissioners Donald Rosier and Faye Griffin.