Maybe this is what happens when you hold an election on April Fools’ Day.

David Schauner found out Wednesday he had placed third and won a seat on the Lawrence City Commission — one day after unofficial election results gave the victory to Lynn Goodell.

“Clearly,” Schauner said, “it’s kind of a roller coaster.”

The votes were recounted Wednesday after officials in the Douglas County Clerk’s office realized they had twice counted 7,002 ballots from 17 precincts. The new count turned Goodell’s 213-vote advantage over Schauner into a 149 vote deficit.

The results are unofficial until ballots are canvassed on Friday.

Schauner was at his office in Topeka when he heard the news.

“I think I’m as surprised as I can be,” he said. “I’m delighted. I’m speechless, and that’s unusual for me.”

Goodell did not return calls for comment.

The ramifications go beyond one commission seat.

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Schauner, along with Mike Rundle, Dennis “Boog” Highberger and incumbent Commissioner David Dunfield, will form a “smart growth” supermajority on the commission. That will allow the foursome not just to set the agenda, but to have their way on the final decisions as well; supermajorities are required for some planning decisions.

“It does give us a better opportunity as a community to take control of our growth process,” Highberger said Wednesday, “and maybe write some fair and consistent rules that everybody can live with.”

During the campaign, opponents of the Progressive Lawrence Campaign had asserted a supermajority would be in position to choke off the city’s growth. The Progressive Lawrence candidates said they were business-friendly.

Now that the supermajority is in place, business leaders aren’t sure what to expect.

“Truthfully, I think it’s too soon to tell,” said Jean Milstead, interim CEO of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. “I’m hoping … they live up to their campaign promises, and they support the things this community wants to get accomplished.”

“We’re just going to wait and hope for the best,” she said.

Dunfield, who presumably will become mayor Tuesday when the new mission convenes, said the supermajority won’t run roughshod over other views.

“Our job is to represent the city, not to represent just the people who agree with our view points,” Dunfield said. “I think you’ll see there’s plenty of diversity on the commission, plenty of respect for all points of view, and plenty of effort to include everyone in the decision-making process.”

Mayor Sue Hack, who has two years left in her commission term, becomes the one person left on the commission backed by and seen as relatively friendly to development interests.

“I don’t see anyone of those other four dismissing me,” she said. “I may not change their opinion, but I think they’ll listen.”

That’s assuming the supermajority holds up. Goodell’s plans were unknown Wednesday, but Rundle said Progressive Lawrence Campaign allies considered asking for a recount when it appeared Schauner had lost.

“We had thought abut it last night, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort,” Rundle said.

Jesse Borjon, spokesman for the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office, said a candidate requesting a recount must do so by noon the day of the canvass — this Friday. The candidate must put up a bond to pay the cost of a recount, but gets the money back if the recount results in a change of results.