Wolfforth has a new City Coucil member. He has a knack for winning coin flips.
Bruce McNair and Bryan Studer let a silver dollar decide the winner after they tied with 118 votes each in Saturday's election.
Neither man wanted to concede, or put the community through an expensive runoff.
McNair picked heads from among two pieces of paper in a hat and that's how the coin landed.
He said there's a lesson in all this.
"We were talking with Dorothy Kennedy from the Elections office and she said that they put out little programs and things to talk about and tell people every vote counts," he said. "This is a real good example that every vote does count."
McNair and the rest of the newly elected Wolfforth council members will be sworn into office Monday at 6 p.m.
Heads or tails, the face of a coin will determine who will fill an empty seat on the Wolfforth City Council. It's a 50/50 chance for Bruce McNair or Bryan Studer.
"When the City Secretary called me the other night and said we had tied that was my first thought," Studer said. "I texted her back and asked if we could just flip a coin. It was more of a joke because I didn't know if we could do that or not."
It turns out that's exactly what they can do.
"I didn't want to concede because that would just be giving up," McNair said. "Certainly spending taxpayers' money to do another election was just ridiculous. So the other option was to 'cast lots' as they call it."
Because of its small population Wolfforth is a "general law" city and operates under state law instead of a city charter. However, the flip of a coin isn't as simple as it seems.
"Trying to decide how you flip, who's going to call it and that type of thing," Darrell Newsom, Wolfforth City Manager said. "To make sure that everyone is going to be made happy at the end of this whole deal it becomes a little bit more elaborate to make it fair."
The city's attorney has written up a three-page legal agreement that details exactly how the toss will transpire.
"I will actually write 'heads' and 'tails' on two equal size pieces of paper and then we'll put them into a hat. Then they'll both open them at the same time," Newsom said.
A regular quarter won't cut it.
"Then we'll actually use a dollar coin which is stipulated in the agreement. Then we'll do it just like a football game. We'll flip it in the air and let it land on the ground. Then we'll determine whether it's heads or tails," Newsom said.
Wolfforth's Mayor will toss the silver dollar and they will all let chance direct the outcome.
"The slip of paper matching the way the coin falls will determine the actual winner of the race," Newsom said.
Even with a strict set of guidelines both candidates said they're at ease about the process.
"I'm good either way. I think Bruce is a good guy. So whoever wins, the city is going to be well represented," Studer said.
"I think God is going to put the right person in the job, so whether it's Bryan or me, so be it," McNair said.
A Ballot Board reviewed the votes and determined that a tie still exists. The tie-breaking coin will be tossed Friday afternoon.
