Walpole Library recount done by the book

Though the overall result stands, the numbers in the library override election changed after a hand recount Monday night because the human counters interpreted some ballots differently than the machines, Town Clerk Ron Fucile said.

Also, nine additional ballots were included in the recount.

The $6.2 million Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion to partially finance construction of the library passed 2,775-2,767.

Before the recount, the debt exclusion passed 2,774-2,764.

Planned for the corner of Stone and School streets, the new library will cost $11.2 million, with a $4 million state grant and $1 million worth of private donations in addition to the money paid by taxpayers through the debt exclusion to pay off a 20-year bond.

Fucile said the recount confirmed the effectiveness of the 11-year-old voting machines.

"The accuracy is very, very high," he said. "It's a very, very reliable machine."

The reason the vote was different, Fucile said, was because human counters were responsible for determining the "intent of the voter" - so some changes would be made based on ballots that were not marked clearly.

Town Counsel Lauren Goldberg, who coordinated the recount, told workers to make a judgment based upon "reasonable certainty" of the will of the voter.

Fucile said he would investigate the nine uncounted ballots, which were likely write-in ballots that were supposed to be counted but were not.

"It's not something, certainly, that was Earth-shattering," the town clerk said, especially since the missing ballots were found in time for the recount.

Five tables were set up at the senior center at Town Hall with two workers at each one. One read the vote, and one marked down the vote.

The teams worked with bundles of 50 ballots, doing one precinct at a time.

There were also four observers at each table who were allowed to object to the judgment made by the vote counters.

"The process worked," said Paul Cesary, chairman of the library trustees, following the announcement of the results. "The democratic process worked."

The eight-vote library victory was called shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday. The recount of the 5,735 ballots had begun just before 7 p.m. Cesary said the ordeal took longer than expected, but noted, "that's the price of democracy."

Library opponent Susan Maguire, a Precinct 1 Town Meeting member and signer of a petition to force a recount, agreed.

"We had people exercise their constitutional rights. That's what it was all about," she said, praising Precinct 6 Town Meeting member James P. Taylor for spearheading the recount effort.

Maguire said she wasn't surprised at the outcome, noting recounts rarely change a result. She said she was satisfied with how the process was conducted.

"There was some miscounting," said Taylor. "It really tells you something about the (voting) machines. They should go out and buy new machines. If (the town) can afford a new fire truck, why can't they afford two new machines?"

Library opponents still question whether Walpole would receive the state grant because of the economy and recent cuts in state aid.

"I have been assured over and over, as recently as Sunday, that the money is there for us," Cesary said. The paperwork is already in Town Hall for selectmen to sign, he said, and $1.3 million in grant money should be made available to the town very shortly.

With the planning process, stormwater management and staffing still not pinned down, Maguire said she believes the project will cost more than promised.

"I don't think people in Walpole have a clue what this is going to cost," she said.

Cesary said library trustees will continue to raise funds to try to defray costs, and sacrifices will be made if the project comes in over budget, but he said he doesn't believe that will happen.

"We've been focused on reducing price, not going over," he said.

"All I can do is rely on the good-faith estimates of the professionals," Cesary said, noting he's not an expert on the subject but has consulted with various cost estimators. "We can't be off by that much, let's put it that way."

Cesary said he hopes to break ground next spring and be finished with construction in about two years.