Election Day is turning into election month for voters in Adak, as they prepare for a local runoff.

Four candidates were vying a seat on Adak’s city council in the Oct. 7 election. But when the ballots were counted, no one had enough votes to cement a victory -- and there was a tie for second place.

It’s taken two weeks, a lengthy legal consultation, and a coin toss to narrow the field.

"Boy, you really don’t know what comes into play -- the small legalities and procedures that you have to follow," says city clerk Debra Sharrah. "You don’t realize how serious it can be until someone hands you a three-page [legal] opinion!"

Adak’s attorney approved a plan for breaking the second-place tie this week. Sharrah called the candidates to the community center:

"The mayor flipped a coin, allowed it to land on the ground, and the coin showed tails."

Elliot Schwarz is the candidate who picked tails. He moved from Oregon to Adak with his wife last year. And while there’s a lot that they love about the community, he says, "it’s also one that is on the cusp of success or failure."

Adak’s biggest business is fish processing. The local plant has been on unsteady ground lately, making it hard to plan for the future.

Schwarz says that uncertainty motivated him to run for office. And it may be the reason why this year’s ballot was so full.

Every open seat on Adak’s city council or community development board was contested, except one. Several of those races were decided by absentee ballots -- including the unseating of an incumbent city councilor.

The runoff race between Schwarz and Christopher Lagua is tentatively set for November. 

Adak city council election results

Council seat 1A: no winner (runoff)

Council seat 1B: Jay Stewart 

Council seat 3C: Mary Prince 

Adak Community Development Corporation election results

Board seat 3A: Dave Fraser

Board seat 3B: Mike Sharrah

Board seat 4B: Esther Bennett