A pair of local races in Tuesday’s election were decided by a single vote.
In Litchfield, that unofficial result in a Select Board race is expected to undergo a ballot inspection and possible recount. The vote totals released by town officials showed incumbent Gary Parker defeating challenger Mark Russell, 222-221. There was also a single write-in candidate.
Selectman Gary Parker Kennebec Journal file
Russell said Wednesday he will call for a ballot inspection for the results and will assess if a vote recount is needed.
“That’s the first step, and if it is worth it, we are going to go with a recount,” Russell said. “I was kind of surprised that it was so split. I expected one of us to win heavily either way; I wasn’t sure which way, but that’s what I expected.”
Upon Russell’s request, the ballot inspection will push the timeline of the results to next week.
In Winthrop, there was also a one-vote margin as six candidates competed for one select board seat.
Bernard “Roy” Weymouth Contributed photo
According to unofficial tallies, Bernard “Roy” Weymouth received 223 votes to win the special election by a single vote, beating Gilles Soucy’s 222 votes. The election was to fill the seat held by former Council Chair Sarah Fuller, who recently resigned.
Soucy said Wednesday that he would not be pursuing a vote recount and that he had already met and congratulated Weymouth on his victory. Soucy explained that he had confidence in the accuracy of the vote tallying process and would run again for the board in the November election.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
