PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Donna Todd Rivers will be the new Ward 5 city councilor after a recount on Monday morning confirmed a 12-vote win over her opponent.
Rivers polled 743 votes to Richard Scapin's 730 in the general election two weeks ago. That narrow vote gap prompted Scapin, a former City Council president, to petition for a recount.
In the end, he picked up one vote, cutting River's thin edge of victory to a round dozen votes.
"The recount is done, the voters' decision has been confirmed and now it's time to move forward," Rivers said after the results were announced. "I've got a lot of work to do."
Scapin and Rivers were vying for the seat left vacant by Jonathan Lothrop, who decided not to run again. Lothrop is the longest serving member on the current council, having first been elected in 2003 over Scapin.
Rivers joked that she had a history of close votes, noting her run in 2013 in which she lost winning an at-large seat by 16 votes. She did not request a recount in that case.
On Monday morning, the members of the Board of Registrars, City Clerk and Mayor-elect Linda Tyer, counters and observers for the candidates spent an hour in City Council Chambers toting up the votes. Two tables were set up with two counters and one representative for each candidate; each precinct was tallied separately and each took just under a half-hour to count.
Both candidates sat quietly through the proceedings.
The results according to Jeffrey Whitehouse, chairman of the Board of Registrars, was 743 for Rivers; 731 for Scapin, 62 blanks and seven write-ins.
"I'd rather lose this way than by 200 votes," said Scapin. "If the people think she can do a better job, I hope she does. The city's got to move forward either way."
Scapin spent six years on Parks Commission and six years on the council; he was unsuccessful in his attempt at an at-large seat in 2011.
"I think I'm done ... maybe it's time for me to step down and spend some time with my grandchildren and family ... and my work," he said when asked if he would run again. But, he added, "never say never." "We'll see what happens."
Rivers, meanwhile, is making plans for outreach to those 731 who voted against her through phone calls, neighborhood meetings and footwork. She's been benched the last couple weeks by the uncertainty of the election and a serious illness that began on election day.
"I'm going to be knocking on doors as soon as my health is ready to do that," the new Ward 5 councilor said. "Regardless of the candidate they voted for, people voted for the process and for the ward and for the city.
"I don't anticipate any problems bringing the city together."
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