After elections officials counted all absentee ballots yesterday, Fazlul Kabir won a District 1 council member slot over incumbent Christine Nagle by two votes.
Two ballots made all the difference for District 1 candidate Fazlul Kabir, who will be the third fresh face on the College Park City Council in December.
Tuesday night’s ballot count left two-term incumbent Patrick Wojahn with 324 votes and the definitive lead in District 1. Incumbent Christine Nagle, 296 votes, and Kabir, 287 votes, were forced to wait for yesterday’s absentee ballot count to determine who would officially take the district’s second slot. The 25 valid absentee ballots swung the election in favor of Kabir — who ran unsuccessfully last election for the same seat — by a count of 306 to 304.
“Some of my residents told me they sent absentee ballots [for me], so I had a good feeling that I’d be getting 15 to 20 more [votes],” said Kabir, a university telecommunications instructor. “I didn’t expect this close [of a race]. It’s a lesson for us that every vote counts.”
The council will now officially have three new members — Kabir in District 1; Monroe Dennis, who will fill the District 2 seat vacated by 14-term veteran Jack Perry; and Robert Day, who will take retiring two-term councilman Mark Cook’s District 3 seat.
Mayor Andy Fellows said while Perry and Cook both contributed significantly to the city during their tenure, having new faces join the table adds a new perspective to the council.
“I think it’s always good when there’s a mixture of experienced council members and new blood,” he said.
Kabir said he plans to start asking other council members for advice for his first term. He added he is already good friends with several of the council members and is prepared for the work the position entails.
“This is my first time on the council, so talking to them will be very important for me,” he said.
The three new councilmen said they are ready to begin collaborating not only with their fellow council members but also with this university and its students.
“I feel like [the university] is an island in a big ocean called College Park,” Kabir said.
Day said improving relations between residents and students is just as important as fostering ties between the city and the university.
“I definitely want to focus on working with residents and students, making that link a little bit clearer,” he said, suggesting the city could work on creating more events that would cater to both groups and bring them together.
Staff writer Jim Bach contributed to this report.
kirkwood@umdbk.com
