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Safety Harbor Commission Race In Recount

Mark Schantz/SUNCOAST NEWS

Nina Bandoni, left, narrowly leads challenger Robin Fornino in the race for a Safety Harbor City Commission seat. The results are being recounted. They are pictured here in a debate held earlier this month.

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: January 30, 2008

Updated: 01/30/2008 12:57 pm

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - Nina Bandoni, the apparent winner by just 18 votes of one of Tuesday's City Commission races, said late Wednesday morning she remains "hopeful and cautiously optimistic" that a recount of the results will confirm her as the victor.

Bandoni's challenger for City Commission Seat 4, Robin Fornino, said she will wait for the official recount before deciding whether to concede.

In an interview, Bandoni said she is proud to have run a positive campaign and trusts that whoever wins, it is God's will.

Fornino said she is proud to have given it her all in the short amount of time there was to campaign.

According to the initial count of Tuesday's special election, Bandoni received 2,670 votes, or 50.17 percent. Fornino got 2,652 votes, or 49.83 percent.

Safety Harbor City Clerk Cathy Benson said there has not been such a close race in the city in some time. The narrow margin in the Seat 4 race triggers an automatic recount by the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office, Benson said.

Forty-four percent of the city's 12,486 registered voters cast ballots in yesterday's election, which is a good turnout, Benson said.

In the race for Seat 3, incumbent Nadine Nickeson beat political newcomer Mark Taylor by a wider margin than in the Seat 4 contest. Nickeson garnered 2,984 votes, or 54.22 percent. Taylor received 2,519 votes, or 45.78 percent.

For more on the Safety Harbor City Commission race see Saturday's print editions of The Suncoast News.

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