ROCKLAND, Maine — Theodore Berry said he does not yet know whether he will request a formal recount, but that an inspection of ballots conducted Friday showed he gained ground in an effort to win a City Council seat.
Berry and six supporters spent more than three hours Friday at City Hall reviewing the more than 2,600 municipal ballots counted on Tuesday. The city clerk and city attorney monitored the review.
Berry was one of three candidates on the ballot for two available seats on the council. As reported by the city clerk on election night, residents returned former Mayor Will Clayton to the council with 1,503 votes and chose Geiger for the second seat with 1,208 votes. Berry was only 35 votes behind her with 1,173 votes.
After Friday’s review, Berry said that by his count he picked up some votes and that second-place finisher Valli Geiger lost some for a net increase of 12 to reduce the gap to 23. The official count won’t change, however, without a formal recount.
Berry also has asked to review absentee ballot applications and the envelopes that the ballots were kept in until Election Day. Berry said that sometimes ballots are left in the envelopes. City Clerk Stuart Sylvester said that those documents will be available for public inspection beginning Thursday.
Berry said he would wait to review those documents before deciding whether to ask for a formal recount. But he questioned the electronic equipment used to count ballots.
“I think the machines can be inaccurate in counting,” he said.
Clayton and Geiger are scheduled to be sworn into office on Monday, Nov. 17.
Geiger’s husband, Greg Marley, also observed the inspection by Berry and his supporters.
In 2010, Frank Isganitis was initially declared the winner of a Rockland council seat by three votes over Larry Pritchett, and Isganitis was sworn into office. The following week, however, a recount was done, and Pritchett was determined to be the winner by three votes.