Latest count confirms recall of assessor

TRENTON, Neb. -- After the election Tuesday, and with provisional ballots counted Wednesday and this morning, it's clear that Hitchcock County voters have recalled their assessor.

Provisional ballots increased Tuesday's count from 738 for the recall of assessor Marlene Bedore and 683 against it, to a count of 738 for and 691 against.

County clerk/election commissioner Margaret Pollmann said this morning that the count is not official and final until the canvassing board, which started hand-counting the provisional ballots and the one early mail vote at 1 p.m., Wednesday, adjourns today, Friday or possibly Monday.

Although Tuesday's count was close and made even closer with the provisional ballots added -- a difference of 47 votes -- it still is not close enough -- within 8 votes -- to trigger an automatic recount.

County commissioner Scott McDonald said this morning that Bedore was not in the assessor's office Tuesday.

McDonald said that once the canvassing board declares the election official and it adjourns, he believes that Bedore's position as county assessor ends at that point.

McDonald said that state officials from the Department of Revenue are staffing the county's assessor office now and will do so until the county hires someone for the assessor's position. McDonald said that Bedore never declared, in almost two years, a deputy assessor from among those workers in the assessor's office.

The process by which the county seeks a replacement will be a topic of a special commissioners meeting Monday, McDonald said.