Smithfield's Democrats have drawn up their Christmas list. At the very top, a whole new election for Town Council. At a Board of Elections hearing last Monday, virtually every attorney employed by Smithfield could be found. As Democratic Chairman Larry Mancini has said, all were there backing Bernie Hawkins "1000 percent" in his quest for that new election. They didn't get it, so they are going to court.

Ironically, it was these same Democrats who, just one year ago, went to court to stop an election for a Smithfield town councilor. Back then, they said it would be too expensive; it would put the town through too much stress with too many complexities and too much work for town staff. That was an election for just one candidate. Now, they want a new election for 13 candidates right in the middle of the holidays.

Enough is enough. Hawkins was entitled to the recount and to ask for a new election. The Board carefully considered the arguments, consulted their staff and their attorney and finally said no. They then counted all the disputed ballots and declared that Maxine Cavanagh had won and that no errors compromised this result.

Every vote for every candidate was counted and a claim that DiIorio votes would have gone to Hawkins is pure speculation. No one was stopped from voting for Hawkins if they wanted to. Courts won't overturn an election because of such speculation, and asking them to is nothing more than delay.

Bernie and the Democrats need to graciously accept defeat and move on so Smithfield can have it's government.