Albaum requests recount in Ward 5

LYNN – Ward 5 challenger Seth Albaum said he will ask for a recount in the hopes of squeezing six additional votes out of Tuesday’s preliminary and winning a spot on the November ballot.Albaum lost the race by five votes. He picked up 24.4 percent of the vote or 182 votes to Jake Keo’s 25.7 percent, which equals 187 votes. Dianna Chakoutis topped the ticket with a whopping 376 votes and 50 percent of the turnout.”I have decided, at the urging of supporters, to ask for a recount,” said Albaum in an email following the vote. “With 5 votes difference it’s worth at least making sure.”Keo said he wasn’t surprised by Albaum’s decision.”I figured he might,” Keo said from his home. “He has the right to ask.”Keo said he was nervous watching the numbers roll in, and if he prevails in the recount he plans to completely change his campaign strategy in an effort to catch Chakoutis.”I don’t know how yet,” he admitted. “We’ll have a meeting to discuss it.”Chakoutis said she was very surprised by the wide margin but it means nothing heading into the November election. The winner will succeed Brendan Crighton, who moved out of the ward and is running for councilor at large.”I would never take that for granted,” Chakoutis said. “It will be business as usual tomorrow.”Chakoutis said she was at the polls when they opened at 7 a.m. holding a sign and still there when they closed 13 hours later. Tuesday night she was tired but happy and ready to get back at it.”I took today off from work,” she said. “Not campaigning, just work. Tomorrow I’ll be back at work and back on the campaign trail.”Albaum said when he first saw the numbers he immediately began to wonder who in his ward was on vacation and not home to vote.”I’m impressed with the turnout in some areas of the ward,” he said.Chakoutis won Precinct 1, Pine Hill, her neighborhood, by a landslide with 202 votes leaving Albaum with 42 votes and Keo with only 39.Albaum also said he didn’t think he did badly, considering he is the new kid on the block. Keo has lived in the area since 1989 and Chakoutis has lived in Pine Hill all her life.”Considering I only moved here in 2007, I’m the new kid in town ? and I’m not going anywhere.”Albaum said if he does not prevail he will continue to fight for the neighborhood the same way he does now, through his website, Lynn Happens, and by working with other associations in the ward.”I have faith in the integrity of the system,” he said.