In the unofficial recount results for Gorham’s Ward 2, Norm Justice tallied 424, losing a vote from his election total, while Robinson had 361 votes inboth the election and recount. But in Ward 2, one ballot is under disputeand hasn’t been counted.
In unofficial recount results in Gorham’s Ward 1, Norm Justice lost a vote from his tally for the ward on Nov. 6. The recount in Ward 1, which concluded at noon, showed Justice with 385 votes while Robinson stayed the same as on Nov. 6 with 503.
The recount is being conducted in the town council chambers. Before breaking for lunch, town officials ordered everyone from the chamber, which was thenlocked. The recount continues this afternoon for Gorham’s other votimg districts – Ward 2, Ward 3 and Central.
A recount of ballots for a Gorham town council seat began at 8:45 a.m. today (Nov. 29) in the Gorham Municipal Center, 75 South St.
Former Town Council Chairman Norm Justice, who was edged out by five votes for one of three available terms in the Nov. 6 election, requested the recount.
In a field of eight candidates, Phillip Csoros and Burleigh Loveitt received the most votes. Matt Robinson was third with 1,182 and Justice tallied 1,177.
With the exception of Justice, councilors, who served on the town council before the election, convened at 8 a.m. Thursday. The council will serve as a referee in the case disputed ballots would change the outcome of the election.
Justice, speaking from a public podium in the council chambers, lost a plea Thursday to recount the ballots by hand. Justice said the state and other communities including Scarborough, Portland and Lewiston have hand counted ballots in previous recounts.
But Gorham Town Clerk Christina Silberman chose to utilize a machine for an electronic recount.
Gorham’s attorney, Bill Dale, said the decision was Silberman’s not the council’s. Dale suggested that the ballots be counted twice electronically but then hand counted in the event of a tally discrepancy.
“We’re satisfied with the procedure the clerk intends to follow,” Robinson’s lawyer Bryan Dench said.
For the recount, Justice was accompanied by his wife, Tody Justice, who is town clerk in Scarborough. Robinson attended with his wife, Melissa, and Dench.
The recount could be lengthy and the town council recessed to later in the day.
The recount request in a letter Nov. 23 to Silberman from Justice followed an inspection of ballots, voter lists and tally tapes on Nov. 19.
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