More than a week and a half after election day, two area school boards finally swore in their new members this week.

Races for the Rock Hill and Fort Mill Boards were so close that the state elections office had to conduct a state mandated recount of the votes before validating the results.

Terry Hutchinson was officially certified as the winner of the at-large Rock Hill School Board race and was sworn in Friday.  Hutchinson filled the seat of former board chairman Bob Norwood, who now heads Keystone Substance Abuse Services. Friday afternoon, the board elected Jim Vining as its chair and Walter Brown as its vice chair.

In Fort Mill, Tom Audette, Scott Patters and Pam Martin were declared the winners for three seats in a seven-way race for the Fort Mill School Board.

The winning margins of both races resulted in less than a 1% difference, leading to Tuesday’s mandatory recount. York County Board of Voter Registration and Elections Chairman Steve Rast says the results of Tuesday’s recount mirrored those of the original ballot count.