A recount by hand will be held Monday, November 24 for one of the seats on the Orchard Park Town Council. The two contenders for that seat are separated by a razor thin margin.
Erie County election commissioners Ralph Mohr and Jeremy Zellner announced Friday that after canvassing the results, Republican and Orchard Park First candidate Gregory Bennett leads Democrat Paul Filsinger by just eight votes. That falls within the 0.5 percent/20-vote margin that, by state law, mandates a hand recount.
Two council seats were up for election on November 4th. Republican incumbent Julia Mombrea leads all candidates with 3,580 votes, securing one of the seats.
Current results also show Democrat Braiden McElhaney has 3,037 votes, while Conservative Party candidate Michael K. Williams has 872 votes, and fellow Conservative candidate Alexander S. Long has 761.
The recount will begin at 10 a.m. in the offices of the Erie County Board of Elections, 134 W. Eagle Street, third floor. It is open to the public.