By Stephanie Prokop, Staff Writer
NEW HANOVER — Republican incumbent Dennis Roohr held onto his Township Committee seat after a close victory over Democrat Sharon Atkinson in a special election Tuesday with Mr. Roohr receiving 191 votes and Ms. Atkinson receiving 176 votes.
There were 35 absentee ballots and five provisional ballots that counted toward the final results, according to Township Administrator Geoffrey Urbanik.
Mr. Roohr said on Wednesday morning that he was very happy about his win, and was very thankful to the people who elected him.
”My only hope was that today, we could roll up our sleeves and go back to work,” he said.
”I think that New Hanover is one of the best towns in Burlington County, and I can’t wait to get to work making it better,” he added.
Ms. Atkinson did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Nearly two and a half months have passed since the Nov. 6 general election that ended in a 170-170 tie between Mr. Roohr and Ms. Atkinson.
At the reorganization meeting, the committee selected Mr. Roohr (who is the Republican Party chairman for the township) to fill the seat.
Mr. Roohr said in a previous statement that no matter the outcome of the Jan. 22 election, the services and needs of the residents in town will not be disrupted.
The last time there was a special election in Burlington County to break a tie was in Riverside in 2005.
