By Sue Ellen Woodcock
The recount in the race for Town Council President will commence Monday, Nov. 27, at 10 a.m. in the Harvey Hearing Room, lower level of Town Hall, where the ballots will be counted and stacked in groups of 50.
The real fun begins Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the Winthrop Elks Club when roughly 20 people in teams of two get down to counting each ballot by hand and inspecting each vote.
The recount is being conducted by the Board of Registrar of Voters for the Town Council president race between Ron Vecchia, Jeff Turco and Rich Boyajian held on Nov. 7.
Turco called for the recount when election day results showed Vecchia finishing with 1,991 votes, Turco garnering 1,980 votes and Boyajian with 584 votes.
Last week Turco, with lawyers Martin O’Brien, Dennis Newman, and Vecchia, with his lawyer James Kelly, watched the opening the eight provisional ballots.
The town’s attorney Lauren Goldberg, of Kopelman & Paige guided everyone through the process, and will be working through the recount with Town Clerk Carla Vitale. Goldberg served in the same manner during the mayoral recount in Revere a year and a half ago.
Provisional ballots are for people who did not have a verifiable address when they checked in to their local polling place. They must show identification. Their votes are individually sealed and put to the side to be verified by the town clerk and counted later by the Board of Registrars.
During the recount each candidate will have 17-22 observers during the process.
Turco said he is looking forward to the recount.
“In a race this close, with new machines, I think everyone would like to see it right the first time,†Turco said.
“When the process is complete we will prevail,†Vecchia said.
Boyajian, who finished third in the race said he is interested to see when all the votes are counted who the voters have chosen.
“I hope whoever they decide is more than campaign rhetoric and truly effect change for the better and not fall back into bad habits,†Boyajian said.