City council President Peter Marchetti and former city councilor John Krol are competing to replace outgoing two-term Mayor Linda Tyer. In the 2019 election, former city councilor Melissa Mazzeo made accusations of voter fraud and ballot tampering and demanded a recount in her unsuccessful bid to unseat Tyer. The recount confirmed Tyer’s victory and Mazzeo’s accusations went unproven.
WAMC caught up with Marchetti and Krol at campaign rallies in Park Square Monday night to ask if they would consider calling for a recount.
Marchetti, who lost by less than a percentage point in 2011, says it would take special circumstances for him to question the outcome.
“The only way that I won't accept them is if I lose by a margin that's within the number of blank votes," he told WAMC. "Then I will consider.”
Krol, who has framed himself as an outsider despite many years in municipal leadership roles, offered a similarly conditional response, but didn’t have a specific metric for what would trigger a recount.
“It would only depend on the circumstances," he told WAMC. "But when it comes down to the results, you know, we hope that they're clear. And that's what we hope.”
Less than 16% of voters turned out for September’s preliminary election, which Marchetti carried 47% to Krol’s 37%.
Polls are open until 8 p.m.
