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No Recount
for Fagan, Tougias

By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
5/13/10
Despite a close contest in the April 27 town election, former Selectman Kathy Fagan says she will not seek a recount.

Fagan, who was seeking a second three-year term on the board, lost her seat to former School Committee member Bob Sweeney by 32 votes. Sweeney captured 2,976 votes to Fagan’s 2,944.

Although Fagan and her supporters last week were circulating papers to get the necessary signatures to hold a recount, she said more consideration led her to decide against the idea.

She cited the cost of a recount and the likelihood that the results would not change as the deciding factors.

“It was just going to be too costly. Not just to me. It would have cost a minimum of $3,000 for the town,” Fagan told the Times. “It didn’t frankly make sense. If the numbers had been closer, it could have been justified.”

According to Town Clerk James Mullen Jr., a recount requires 10 signatures in each of the 11 voting precincts in town, one of which has to be notarized. The deadline for filing for a recount with the town clerk was May 7. Mullen said no one filed.

Fagan said she had the necessary signatures to do so. She said the decision was a tough one.

“I had a lot of people call me,” she said. “It was difficult for people to accept because it was such a close race.” A related letter appears on Page 6.

Fagan, who served as a library trustee before winning the selectman’s seat in 2007, received a standing ovation at Annual Town Meeting on May 3 after Selectmen Chair Marion McEttrick thanked her for her time on the board.

“[Fagan] certainly has made great contributions and will continue to do so,” McEttrick told Town Meeting.

Meanwhile, Cheryl Tougias, who came within 45 votes of unseating 10-year incumbent Ed Duffy on the Planning Board, says she also plans not to seek a recount, despite considering the idea.
“I did give it consideration given the closeness of the race and given that a number of supporters encouraged me to pursue it,” she said.

Despite coming up short, Tougias said she is “encouraged” by her showing in the election.

“I am hopeful that the Planning Board will recognize that many residents support proactive planning and smart growth,” she said.