Candidate to seek recount in tight Buffalo Grove board race

Buffalo Grove village board candidate Soojae Lee said he will seek a preliminary recount of what appears to be a razor-thin defeat in the April 2 election.

Vote totals certified Tuesday show Lee finished with 1,823 votes, just two behind incumbent David Weidenfeld for the third and final board seat at stake in this month's election.

Trustee Eric Smith and newcomer Gregory Pike took the first two seats, with 2,063 and 1,968 votes, respectively.

Lee said he will file for a discovery recount "to make sure the vote totals are correct for both candidates."

Through a discovery recount, Lee can ask the Cook County Clerk's office to recount the ballots in up to 25 percent of the village's precincts to see if it appears the final result could change. Depending on what the discovery recount finds, Lee could then file a lawsuit asking a judge to reverse the results.

"It's too close for my supporters and people that really helped me," Lee said, noting that a re-examination could reveal errors in the initial count. "Sometimes, things like that happen. The ballots could be misread by the machine. I want to make sure that we do not leave any stone unturned."

Weidenfeld said both he and Lee will incur legal fees as a result of the process.

But, he said, Lee "has got a perfect legal right to do this."

Weidenfeld said a lawsuit could cost the candidates "way into five figures."

"That's what the law says I have to do if I want to hang onto my seat," he added. "I'm not abdicating. I was elected, at least so far as I can tell. I have, I think, an obligation to do this. I have people who voted for me, and I think I have an obligation to them."