Mason - MSU communication Professor William Donohue was chosen Friday the newest member of the East Lansing school board, breaking a nearly two-week tie with fellow candidate Randy Bell.

Donohue and Bell, who tied in the June 10 school board election with 1,259 votes, decided the election by drawing from two pieces of paper - one that said “elected” and one that said “not elected.”

The tie-breaker was conducted under the terms of a 1955 state law, which calls for a hat drawing in the event of a tie.

Bell, a 46-year-old MSU faculty member, filed a petition Friday asking for a recount in the election. He said the request for a recount does not reflect his opinion of Dohonue.

The two men have said they supported each other in the race.

Ingham County Clerk Mike Bryanton, who oversaw the drawing at the Ingham County courthouse, said the Board of Canvassers will meet next week to examine the petition and set a date to conduct a recount.

Donohue commended Bell for his campaign and called the decision a “win-win” for the school district.

Both men had said they would continue to be involved in the district regardless of who won.

“It’s a great day for him, for me and for East Lansing that both of us will be involved,” Donohue, 52, said.

For more information about this article, see Monday’s edition of The State News.