The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters confirmed last week that Lynette Lee Eng won the hotly contested third open seat on the Los Altos City Council.
Incumbent councilwomen Jan Pepper and Jeannie Bruins were the top two vote-getters, respectively, in the Nov. 8 election. The vote count for the third seat swung back and forth between first-time candidates Eng and Neysa Fligor.
Eng ultimately beat Fligor by six votes – 6,369 to 6,363. Although results were certified Dec. 8, the razor-thin margin triggered an automatic recount under an ordinance passed by the county Board of Supervisors.
Registrar spokeswoman Anita Torres said the votes had to be recounted and audited. The laborious process was completed Jan. 5.
Registrar employees performed automatic recounts in 10 different county races in the November election – previously, they had only undertaken one automatic recount, Torres said.
The recount meant that last month’s scheduled council meeting to swear in newly elected councilmembers was postponed.
Eng, a former Los Altos Parks and Recreation commissioner, could not be reached for comment. Her campaign manager, Roberta Phillips, said she was “really excited about it.”
Eng was scheduled to be sworn in at Tuesday’s council meeting, after the Town Crier’s press deadline.
