A topsy-turvy council election in Bellevue seems to have ended with the incumbent keeping her council seat.

A ruling yesterday by Commonwealth Court decided the election for Republican incumbent Jane Braunlich.

On Election Day, Ms. Braunlich left the polls believing that she had won the seat by one vote over Democratic challenger David Piet.

But when she called a couple weeks later for the official results, she found that the election was about to be certified as a tie, with each candidate receiving 210 votes. About a week after Election Day, an elections judge had found an unopened absentee ballot in the trunk of a car, opened it and counted the vote for Mr. Piet.

Ms. Braunlich challenged the absentee ballot in court, but Common Pleas Judge Joseph James upheld the county Election Board's decision to count the ballot.

Mr. Piet and Ms. Braunlich then drew random numbers to decide the tied election, with Mr. Piet prevailing.

The County Elections Board has already recertified the election for Ms. Braunlich after the Commonwealth Court's ruling yesterday, said attorney Patricia McGrail, who represented Ms. Braunlich.

The Commonwealth Court based its decision on the fact that the law clearly spells out procedures that must be followed in counting absentee ballots, said Ms. McGrail -- procedures that were not followed in this case.

Barring an appeal from the Elections Board, Ms. Braunlich will be sworn in Monday.

Ms. Braunlich was pleased to be keeping her seat, though disheartened by the process that has taken this long.

"It should have never went this far," she said. "Hopefully, no other citizen will ever have to go through this again. To be put on this roller coaster ride is really bizarre."

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.