Nov 20, 2007 7:15 pm US/Pacific
Vallejo Mayor-Elect Apologizes For Drunkenness
VALLEJO (CBS/AP/BCN) ―
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Gary Cloutier, Vallejo Vice Mayor
CBS
Two days after his arrest on suspected public intoxication, Vallejo Vice Mayor Gary Cloutier has won the Vallejo mayoral race by 4 votes.
Cloutier, who was arrested in Palm Springs over the weekend on suspicion of being drunk in public, held a news conference Tuesday morning to apologize for the incident. Tuesday afternoon, the Solano County Registrar of Voters Office said that Cloutier received 5,722 votes during the unofficial count of the November 6th Vallejo mayoral election – 4 more than opponent Osby Davis.
Certification of those results were expected next Monday. Assistant Registrar of Voters Lindsey McWilliams said Tuesday that he had not received an official request from Davis for a recount. A recount would not begin until after the votes are certified, McWilliams said.
The race has been neck and neck since the initial vote count after the November 6th election showed a tie between Cloutier and former Solano County Supervisor Osby Davis. Each candidate had received 5,158 votes to that point, with several hundred provisional ballots outstanding.
Cloutier would be Vallejo's first openly gay mayor while Davis would have been the city's first black man to hold the seat.
When asked about his opponent's arrest, Davis said, "We ought to remember the good things that he's done and give him the benefit of the doubt. An arrest does not equal guilt."
Cloutier was taken into custody around 3:45 a.m. Sunday as he sat behind the wheel of a Cadillac. Police said he was staggering and could barely stand. Since he was not on a public street at the time, he wasn't charged with drunk driving, but being intoxicated in public.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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