HAMILTON — Yesterday's recount of the Hamilton election results switched the voting totals, but not enough to make a difference. The $1.9 million Proposition 21/2 override to boost the school budget was once again a winner, but by a margin of 34 votes, rather than the original 37 announced May 15.
The final count was 1,421 in favor, 1,387 against. That includes three ballots that had to be counted by hand because the machines would not accept them. Two of those were against the override, one in favor.
Opponents of the override formed a group, Enough is Enough, to fight it. One of their members, Warren Gray, collected enough signatures on petitions in each precinct to force the recount.
"We're satisfied," Gray said.
"It just justifies that the system works," fellow override opponent George La Montagne said.
Members of Support Our Schools, a group of school boosters who pushed for the override, also went away satisfied.
"We got through this, we followed the democratic process," said Nancy Peterson, one of the group's chairwomen.
The recount took nearly 21/2 hours, played out before a field of election tellers, the town clerks from Rockport and Ipswich, and supporters and opponents of the override.
School administrators say the extra money will save nearly 17 teachers and teaching assistants and will pay for textbooks and other instructional materials.
Hamilton and Wenham share the school district and split its costs, divvying them up based partially on enrollment in each town. The override passed handily in Wenham — 750 for, 500 against.
Hamilton's share of the override is about $1.29 million, while Wenham's is about $600,000. The cost for the average taxpayer in both towns will be about $393 every year.
When the recount was first announced, some school backers decried the additional money it was going to cost the town. Town Clerk Jane Wetson didn't have that figured out yesterday, but Town Counsel Donna McKenna and Town Moderator Bruce Ramsey were both on hand, and a detail officer was hired, as well.
Gray defended the recount.
"We would have considered it money well spent if we had saved the two towns $1.9 million."
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