Lord requests recount in sheriff's race

Albee will face a November challenge for county commissioner

There will be a recount in the Republican race for Carroll County Sheriff, and the Carroll County Republicans have found a candidate to challenge Democrat Chip Albee for the District 3 county commissioner seat.The New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office in Concord confirmed Friday afternoon that a recount in the Republican race for Carroll County Sheriff between Chris Conley, Francis Lord and Domenic Richardi has been requested. Just 18 votes separated Conley and Lord in the heated race. No date for the recount had been set as of Friday afternoon."I was told Thursday that Francis Lord filed his request for a recount late on Wednesday," Henry Mock, Carroll County GOP chair, said Friday afternoon. "(Lord) owes it to his supporters to have a recount, get the final numbers." Results according to the N.H. Secretary of State's Web site have Lord trailing by 18 votes, or by just .003 percent of the 5,397 votes cast during Tuesdays primary.Conley, a former state trooper who lives in Wolfeboro, received 1,974 votes; Lord, also a former state trooper who resides in Ossipee, garnered 1,956; while Richardi, of Conway and currently a deputy for the Carroll County Sheriff's Department, received 1,367 votes."I'm not surprised the race was so close," Mock said. "We had three candidates who were all good candidates they all put on a very aggressive campaign across the county."Of the 18 towns in Carroll County, Conley won seven (Brookfield, Hart's Location, Sandwich, Tamworth, Tuftonboro, Wakefield and Wolfeboro); Richardi, six (Albany, Bartlett, Chatham, Conway, Eaton and Madison); and Lord took five (Effingham, Freedom, Jackson, Moultonboro and Ossipee). The hometowns of the candidates appear to have made the difference in this race. Conley carried Wolfeboro 608 votes to Lord's 289 and Richardi's 86. Lord carried Ossipee with 251 votes to 168 for Conley and 155 for Richardi. Richardi carried Conway with 288 votes to 268 for Lord and 121 for Conley.In other election news, two Republicans, Paul Askew, of Wolfeboro, and Rod Cool, of Wakefield, ran under-the-radar write-in campaigns for District 3 Carroll County Commissioner to run against Chip Albee, who defeated Henry Spencer in the Democratic primary. Cool garnered 86 write-ins to top Askew, who got 70. Cool will now meet Albee in the Nov. 4 general election."I know both Rod and Paul, both are very qualified and I'm glad they offered to run," Mock said.Mock was unable to find a Republican in District 2 (Albany, Eaton and Madison) willing to run for the New Hampshire House of Representatives to challenge incumbent Bob Bridgham, D-Eaton. "I could not find anyone willing to run in Albany, Eaton or Madison, and to me that's sad," he said. "It looks like Bridgham will have a cake walk back to Concord."