PORTSMOUTH — Democrat Leonard Katzman asked Friday for a recount in the Portsmouth Town Council race that left him in the eighth spot of a seven-seat race behind Republican Liz Pedro.

He had been leading before the count of absentee ballots.

His statement reads:

"At about 1 p.m. today I filed a formal request for a recount in the Portsmouth Town Council race.  As of the final tally of the race, including paper ballots, I trail the last winning candidate by only three votes.

I believe that our optical scanner voting system is very robust and accurate and therefore I do not expect the recount to result in any major change in outcome.  Nonetheless, on occasion some variance does occur.  I have been contacted by many Portsmouth citizens and they have urged me to seek a recount.  I believe I owe it to my supporters to do so.  This will allow Portsmouth voters to remain confident in the integrity of the election process.

Regardless of the outcome, I want to thank all who supported my candidacy.  Thanks are also due to the Canvasser’s Office for a well-run election."