By Mike Finney

DOVER — Andre Boggerty, who arrived in Dover in 1992 after he was stationed at Dover Air Force Base as an aerospace ground equipment mechanic, found himself flying high once again after he won an at-large seat on City Council on Tuesday night.

Mr. Boggerty received 470 votes (53%), runner-up Michael Lewis garnered 294 votes (33%) and LaVaughn McCutchen tallied 125 votes (14%) in the only contested race in the city of Dover’s Municipal Election at the Dover Elks Lodge off Saulsbury Road.

Surprisingly, of the 889 total votes cast in the at-large race, only 56 of them were absentee votes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Boggerty, who will take over the seat that is being vacated by Councilman Tim Slavin, had tears in his eyes after the election results were read just after 9 p.m.

“One, it’s a big duty, and I don’t take it lightly,” he said. “I thank the constituents who had enough faith to come out. Eventually a city councilman I’m looking forward to … you know, this is just the beginning. There’s a job to do.”

City Clerk Traci McDowell said the election results won’t be made official until after they are audited at 10 a.m. this (Saturday) morning in the City Hall Conference Room. The results of the audit will be made available for public review.

Mr. Boggerty went on to thank his opponents for their efforts in serving the city of Dover.

“Foremost, I have to absolutely thank God,” said Mr. Boggerty. “But I also want to give Mike (Lewis) credit for stepping in the race as well as LaVaughn (McCutchen). I know they are going to continue to be involved in the city. The one thing that I want to make sure is that we continue to work together. They both want to serve this area as well.”

Mr. Boggerty won the only race contested in this year’s city election.

Gerald Rocha Sr. (1st District), Council President Bill Hare (2nd District), Fred Neil (3rd District) and David Anderson (4th District) will all be re-elected to their seats after no opponents stepped up to challenge them.

Tricia Arndt is another newcomer who also ran uncontested in the special 3rd District election to fill former Councilman Scott Cole’s seat.

Mr. Lewis and Mr. McCutchen both offered their congratulations to Mr. Boggerty. They were seen in the parking lot during the election earlier in the day circled together in prayer.

“I just want to offer congratulations to Councilman Andre Boggerty,” Mr. Lewis said. “I look forward to continuing to serve the city in any way I can. And I just want to thank all those who took time out of their day to come out and vote today and all those who have supported me in the process.

“Right now, we’re just going to take a break and just make some adjustments as we just get back to our normal day to day for now and we’ll see how it works (in the future). I look forward to continuing to serve on the Silver Lake Commission and serve the city in any way possible.”

It was a long day for the trio of candidates, seeking support in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge and eagerly awaiting the results.

At the end, Mr. Boggerty said it was all well worth it.

“I hope I live up to the standards and expectations of the city and all those aiming to serve,” Mr. Boggerty said. “You know, my heart is to serve our city and I want to make sure that we continue to keep looking forward and to partnering with the current members of the city, and those who are on City Council as well.

“It’s been a great day and I want to thank those election workers … I mean, a long, long day for them. We (the candidates) had to be here at a certain time, so I know they’ve been prepping early.”

Mr. Boggerty added, “So let’s just work together and let’s make this one Dover. This is what I’ve always dreamed. And what I’ve been saying is ‘all voices, all people, one Dover’ – and that’s my goal. I’m looking forward to making a difference.”