Revere mayoral recount confirms initial result

Local News

Patrick Keefe Jr.’s win was solidified after challenger Dan Rizzo pursued a recount.

Dan Rizzo using a cell phone during a recount in 2015. Rizzo, a current city councilor and former mayor, lost the mayoral election in 2015 and called for a recount. He did the same in 2023. David L. Ryan/Boston Globe

Revere Acting Mayor Patrick Keefe Jr. will officially become mayor after a recount found minimal change to the original election results. City Councilor Dan Rizzo pursued a recount after losing to Keefe in the November election. 

The recount, completed on Dec. 2, found that Keefe received 4,933 votes and Rizzo received 4,570 votes. The initial election results showed Keefe with 4,932 votes and Rizzo with 4,565 votes. The total number of votes remained the same, with 9,660 ballots cast. 

The recount process was split up into two segments, with clerks gathering to count each ballot by hand inside the Revere High School gymnasium. 

To file for a recount, Rizzo and his team had to collect at least 10 signatures from voters in each of Revere’s six wards.

Keefe thanked the city workers who helped with the recount in a statement. 

“It was a long day for everyone and I truly appreciate your part in this important process. While the results were far from dramatic, with only 3 or 4 votes changing of the 9600 votes cast, the efforts of these City workers hopefully helped to bring more transparency, clarity, and closure to everyone about the results of this election and the desire of the voters of our City to allow me to continue serving as Mayor to all of Revere,” he wrote. 

Rizzo, who previously served as mayor, also filed for a recount after losing a close election in 2015. In the wake of this year’s election, Rizzo said he was pursuing a recount due to concerns about ballots from early voting, mail in voting, and absentee voting being accurately counted. 

“I plan on making sure that regardless of what the outcome may have been, your vote was accurately represented,” he said in a statement at the time. 

Rizzo conceded to Brian Arrigo after the 2015 recount. The initial results showed that Rizzo lost to Arrigo by 118 votes, and the recount found that he lost by 108. Arrigo served as mayor until this year, when Gov. Maura Healey appointed him to lead the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

After Rizzo called for this most recent recount, Keefe said the process would be “unnecessary and costly.” The cost of the recount was borne by the city, according to election Commissioner Paul Fahey. 

Keefe criticized his opponent by bringing up his past efforts to challenge election results. 

“It is truly disheartening,” Keefe said in a statement after this year’s election. “Disheartening, but not surprising. Not surprising because this is not the first time Mr. Rizzo has taken such a step. In fact he seems to regularly question the integrity of any election he does not win. This is far from his first recount rodeo. However, this is by far the widest margin of defeat, several hundred votes, he is requesting recount of.”

Keefe said in his statement this week that he is ready to get to work and thanked the voters of Revere. 

“Every vote and every voter’s intent deserves to be counted. This recount ensured your votes were counted and that your intent was correctly expressed,” he said. “Thank you for the trust you have placed in me through these votes. I will work hard every day to show you that your trust is well placed.”