LYNN — The results are in, and incumbent Richard Colucci has been declared the victor of the Ward 4 councilor election in a recount that took place at City Hall Tuesday morning.
The recount was called for by candidate Natasha Megie-Maddrey, who said that because the race was so close, there must be a count of all the ballots to ensure there was nothing wrong with the tally.
The first count, on the city’s Nov. 2 election day, found Colucci besting Megie-Maddrey by 56 votes. The recount found that the difference between the two candidates was actually 59 votes.
Despite coming up short in the recount, Megie-Maddrey accepted the results and said she was interested in running again.
“I feel great about it, seeing the hand count,” Megie-Maddrey said about the process. “I accept the results and I’ll run again in two years.”
David L’Esperance, Colucci’s attorney, also was pleased with the results. He said that having the recount was good for transparency and civility.
“This is a good exercise in democracy,” L’Esperance said. “Folks get along. There was no screaming and yelling. It was nice to see everyone agree.”
L’Esperance expressed gratitude to Megie-Maddrey, saying he wished her good luck in her future endeavors.
“She was very pleasurable to work with,” L’Esperance said. “She represented herself and she treated me with the utmost respect and I treated her with the utmost respect.”
Overseeing the recount were City Hall staff from the law and election departments. City Solicitor George Markopoulos and Assistant Solicitor James Wellock answered legal questions about the process. City Clerk and Elections Chief Janet L. Rowe was responsible for guiding the process and ensuring that the count was fast but accurate. Both candidates had a team of five observers.
There was one challenge by Megie-Maddrey, regarding a provisional ballot, filled out by her niece but rejected due to her not being fully registered to vote. The election staff ruled that the ballot did not count on these grounds.
Megie-Maddrey accepted the ruling, acknowledging that this would not change the results.
“It wasn’t going to change anything,” said Megie-Maddrey. “It was just one vote.”
Despite the challenged ballot, city officials all agreed that the process went smoothly. Rowe noted how fast the process was, saying that the department improved its vote-counting skills.
“I think it’s because we have a lot of experience,” Rowe said. “We did a recount two years ago and the poll workers we brought in were top-notch.”
As for Colucci, he offered just one quick comment regarding his victory:
“I am pleased with the results. Merry Christmas.”
