(story updated to include reaction from Belinda Juran)

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The closest City Council race in recent memory is heading for another count.

In a statement released to InsideLowell Monday night, Dan Finn confirmed he will petition for a recount of Lowell’s District 3 City Council election, a race which found him just four votes shy of Belinda Juran when the 2,309 ballots cast were tallied last Tuesday night.

“After a week of thought and discussion with family, supporters, and my campaign manager, I have decided to petition for a recount,” Finn wrote. “The decision was not easy, but with a margin of only four votes I owe it to my family and supporters to ensure the intent of the voters is upheld. I am grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout this campaign.”

With City Hall closed Tuesday in observance of Veteran’s Day, Finn tells us he will likely file the petition Wednesday. By law, he has until 5pm Friday, November 10 to do so.

The Belvidere resident says will request the ballots be hand counted, as is his right under state law and recount guidelines laid out by the Secretary of State’s Office.

Finn also confirmed he has hired attorney Dennis Newman to assist him with the process. Newman, you will recall, was the attorney representing Third District Congresswoman Lori Trahan during the 2018 primary recount against Dan Koh.

When contacted for comment on Finn’s intention to petition for a recount, Juran directed InsideLowell to a statement published on her campaign’s Facebook page Monday. (full statement published below)

“Out of respect for the Democratic process and the laws of our Commonwealth, I am avoiding making any other statements until the results are official,” Juran wrote as part of the post, highlighting in bold her intention to not comment until results are official.

The razor thin margin found Juran with 1,143 votes to Finn’s 1,139 in the unofficial results released election night. That tally also includes 27-blank votes. Those unofficial numbers are no longer available on the city’s website, though we did save a copy of the PDF released the night of November 4, which you can link to here.