Manassas Councilman Opts Against Seeking Recount In Close Race

MANASSAS, VA — Manassas City Councilman Ian Lovejoy does not plan to seek a recount after coming up 127 votes short of winning re-election.

At the end of counting ballots, the race was eligible for a recount due to the narrow vote margin. But Lovejoy, a Republican, said Tuesday the vote difference might seem small, "but in terms of a recount, it's a large hurdle to clear to change the outcome."

Lovejoy, who was seeking re-election to a third term on Nov. 3, was narrowly defeated by Tom Osina, a newcomer to the City Council. Osina received 6,961 votes compared with 6,834 for Lovejoy.

In the City Council election, six candidates were vying for three council seats. Incumbent Democrats Pamela Sebesky and Mark Wolfe received the most votes — more than 1,500 votes received by either Osina or Lovejoy.

In the mayor's race on Nov. 3, Manassas Councilperson Michelle Davis-Younger (D) won, defeating Republican Councilperson Theresa Coates Ellis. Along with being the first African American and woman to serve as mayor, Davis-Younger is the first Democrat to win election as mayor of Manassas.

Ellis, whose current term ends in 2022, will return to the City Council. The City Council will have to appoint another member to fill Davis-Younger’s seat in early 2021.

In a Facebook post, Lovejoy said Tuesday he could have easily raised the $10,000 it would have cost for a recount.

"Doing so would not be an indictment on the local election or how it was run, but simply a double-check on the very close results," he said. "I'm not going to ask folks to shell out money to help with something if I don't have a firm sense of likely success. To do so would be a vanity project rather than something meaningful for the City or electoral process. To that end, I will not be seeking a recount."

Lovejoy suggested that anyone who had planned to donate money to a recount to instead spend the money at a city business or "on a cause or charity you truly believe in to help further its goal."

After eight years on the City Council, Lovejoy said he plans to take a break from running for political office. "But there are many ways to serve our community and that's where you'll find me," he said.