The recount in the race for moderator will be held on Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
Town Clerk Ellen O’Brien Cushman announced the plans in an email Friday afternoon.
On Wednesday, the ballot boxes will be delivered to Town Hall, unsealed, and the ballots divided into groups of 50, Cushman wrote.
On Thursday at 9 a.m., the actual counting will begin in the auditorium.
Mark Paolillo petitioned for the recount after falling nine votes short against Mike Crowley, 2,133-2,124.
The two men vied to replace Mike Widmer, who decided not to seek reelection this year.
“I am not sure we will prevail,” Paolillo said. “But I felt compelled to file for a recount on behalf of my team and the town.”
Paolillo said he would personally be paying the cost of the recount, even before knowing what the final bill will be.
He added that he will respect the final tally, whether or not it shifts the victory into his favor.
“We ran a positive campaign from the start,” Paolillo said.
He called Crowley gracious and understanding about the recount.
Whatever the final result, Paolillo said it is key for the moderator to succeed in the new job.
“Mark is entitled to ask for a recount,” Crowley said. “I have no problem with that at all.”
Crowley said he does not anticipate a change in the outcome. But, just in case, he’s begun planning for his first Town Meeting as moderator, scheduled to start May 5, with an eye toward flexibility.
“I told (Paolillo) I’m taking a conservative approach to Town Meeting planning,” Crowley said.
Crowley, who has been sworn in, wants Paolillo to be able to step in seamlessly if the election outcome is reversed.
For a recount, a Belmont resident has to file a petition signed by 10 registered voters in each precinct. Paolillo’s petition included 100 certified signatures.
The signature totals by precinct were:
- Precinct 1: 12
- Precinct 2: 14
- Precinct 3: 12
- Precinct 4: 12
- Precinct 5: 12
- Precinct 6: 13
- Precinct 7: 13
- Precinct 8: 12
This will be the second recount in the past two local elections. Last year, the question of whether the assessors should be appointed or elected went to recount when the final tally showed a difference of 11 votes. After recounting, the elected assessor side still prevailed by four votes.
Paolillo said he thought long and hard about filing for the recount. If the margin had been much more significant than nine, he probably wouldn’t have filed, he said.
“It’s pretty much tied,” he said.
