Court Or Election? Two Sides In Framingham Recount Battle

Framingham MA

18 November, 2021

12:50 PM

Description

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The two candidates vying for the District 3 Framingham City Council seat are drawing battle lines. After a recount on Tuesday ended in a 997-997 tie between incumbent District 3 Councilor Adam Steiner and challenger Mary Kate Feeney, the two candidates are advocating for different solutions to the deadlock — a rare occurrence across all democratic jurisdictions. In a message on Facebook after Tuesday's recount, Steiner said the "likely next step" would be for a judge to look at two ballots newly counted for Feeney to determine their validity. "That should result in a determination about the final outcome of the Nov. 2," Steiner said. "If not, we'll look to the next step advised by the court to break the tie, and we will certainly abide by the court's and the city's decision. Much as I respected Ms. Feeney's request for a recount, I similarly want to make sure every i is dotted and t is crossed as we move forward in the process." On Thursday, Feeney fired back: she asked City Council Chair George King Jr. to call a new election in District 3. "By making this request to the Council, which can set election dates in consultation with the City Clerk's office, this issue is put back into the hands of District 3 — where it belongs," Feeney said in a note to supporters. Perhaps the last election recount tie in Massachusetts happened in 2011 in the contest between incumbent Democratic Charlton state representative Geraldo Alicea and Republican Peter Durant. The recount tie first went to a judge, who ordered a new election — and Durant won. During Framingham's recount, volunteers found two ballots that were eventually counted for Feeney. Neither a city spokesperson nor City Clerk Lisa Ferguson have responded to questions about the process that led to those ballots being newly counted. Neither King nor Steiner were immediately available for comment about Feeney's request. We will update this story as soon as we hear back.