Hanley, Nabulime Out, Dunn, Durkee In: Waltham Council Recount

WALTHAM, MA — It's official: A recount Saturday didn't change the outcome of the city council races for Ward 2 and Ward 6. Caren Dunn edged out Bill Hanley for a seat on the City Council from Ward 2. And in Ward 6, City Councilor Sharline Nabulime is still on her way out after Sean Durkee unseated her.

The recount represented the first time in recent memory in which not one but two city council candidates are holding recounts after tight races on Election Day. State law allows candidates to petition for a recount no matter the margin of the initial count in municipal elections.

In Ward 2, where the city is working to build a new, multi-million dollar high school, Dunn squeaked onto the council, 10 votes ahead of Hanley on Nov. 5. There were three write-in votes and 42 people left the ballot blank with 1,441 voting. Hanley said he expected the results to stay much the same, but felt with such a close race, he had to make sure he did due diligence for the hundreds who supported him. He submitted a request for a hand recount on Nov. 13.

In the end, 1448 people voted, of those, 703 voted for Dunn, and 696 voted for Hanley.

In Ward 6, Sean Durkee upset incumbent Sharline Nabulime by 59 votes on Nov. 5. Saturday the margin squeezed to 57, but it Durkee still takes the seat.

Originally some 538 voted for Durkee, and 479 voted for Nabulime. Three people wrote in and 60 left the ballot blank. A total of 1,080 cast ballots were there. The recount tallied this way:

City Clerk Robert Waddick told Patch the last recount was several years ago in reference to the community preservation act.

Related:

Waltham 2019 Election Results: Mayor McCarthy In, Logan Out
Waltham's Biggest Issue, According To City Council Candidates
Waltham Mayoral Candidates McCarthy, LeBlanc Face Off In Debate
Turnout is Up in Waltham
Councilor Elect Paz Among Youngest In Waltham

Waltham Candidate Bill Hanley Calls For Recount

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).