PROVIDENCE — It was a long-shot move, but well within the right of the challenger in the Ward 3 race for East Providence City Council to request a recount of the vote from the November 4 election.
The recount, which took place Friday morning, Nov. 21, at the State Board of Election offices, changed nothing from the original tally, however.
As was the case on election night, Tommy Rose, the two-term incumbent, defeated challenger Candy Seel by the same 52.3-47.3 percent margin with the same number of votes, 1,440-1,303. Eleven voters (.4 percent) wrote-in another name.
Mrs. Seel had the option to challenge the result because she lost by less than 200 votes in an election where 5,000 votes or less were cast.
“It was exactly the same. There was no change at all,” Mr. Rose said Friday afternoon. “Not even the provisional ballots were different. That’s what I expected going in because the people at the Board of Elections do a good job.”
This is the second time in as many elections Mrs. Seel has challenged Mr. Rose. In 2012, Mr. Rose won by a 56.3-43.3 percent margin, 2,050-1,577 votes. There were 13 write-in votes.
The affirmation of victory seemingly clears the way for Mr. Rose to ascend to the position of City Council President/ceremonial mayor.
The longest-serving member of the Council, Mr. Rose has been vice president/assistant mayor to both Bruce Rogers (2010-12) and Jim Briden (2012-14) over the last two terms.
Mr. Rose, who acknowledged his interest in the post, declined to comment with any specificity on any speculation of how the Council President vote may go. The position is open because Mr. Briden chose not to seek re-election from Ward 1. The vote will take place when the new Council is inaugurated at City Hall Monday evening, Dec. 1, at 6:30 p.m.
Besides Mr. Rose, the two other incumbents returning to the Council are Ward 2’s Helder Cunha and At-Large Tracy Capobianco, who were both first elected in 2012. In a separate phone conversation Friday, Mrs. Capobianco signaled Mr. Rose would likely have enough support to become the new Council president.
Newcomers to the Council include Bobby Britto, who defeated David Sullivan for the vacant Ward 1 seat on November 4, and Tim Conley, who unseated incumbent Chrissy Rossi in Ward 4 this cycle.
“I don’t know how it’s going to turn out,” Mr. Rose did say about Council presidency and the new body in general. “What I do know is that we have a good group of people on the Council this time. Not that we didn’t last time, but I think we have a group of people who all have their points of expertise. They all have a lot of good ideas to take the city in the right direction.”