Watertown town councilors Devaney and Donohue to contest recent election results

Recently-defeated town councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney has demanded a recount.
(Globe staff photo)

WATERTOWN

With minutes to spare before the deadline, town councilors Marilyn Petitto Devaney and John Donohue today both filed requests for a recount of the Nov. 6 town election.

Devaney's 1,816-vote tally placed her fifth in a race for four at-large seats, a stunning reversal of fortunes for the 69-year-old, who had outpaced challengers by wide margins in previous elections. Donohue, her closest competitor, grabbed the fourth and final seat with 1,821 votes, a slim five-vote margin.

Both are asking for a town-wide recount, as opposed to singling out any specific precincts. If Devaney -- who faces felony charges in a recent confrontation at a Waltham beauty supply store and has been an aggressive critic of town administration -- does not prevail, her 26-year run as a councilor-at-large will come to an end.

Town Clerk John Flynn said that once the paperwork has been certified on Monday, the Board of Election Commissioners will meet at 5:30 that evening to set a date for the recount. The earliest date for a recount would be Nov. 27, Flynn said.

-- Christina Pazzanese