Fairhaven Board of Health Election Controversy [VIDEO]

There were some razor thin election results Monday night in Fairhaven. After the ballots were counted, challenger John Wethington was sworn in as a new member of the Board of Health, defeating incumbent Peter Deterra.

Wethington was congratulated by the Board of Selectmen and the celebration of a successful campaign began.

One problem.  Later on in the night, Town Clerk Eileen Lowney said she found 48 uncounted votes.  These were apparently votes that were not read by the machines.  They were reportedly in an unsealed envelope.  Once those extra votes were counted, it was determined that incumbent Peter Deterra was ahead by one vote.

The Board of Health election was particularly competitive this election cycle due to the heated and polarizing issue of the town's new wind turbines.  Wethington is anti-wind turbine, Deterra is pro-wind turbine.

Either candidate can request a recount within 10 days.  It's not clear which candidate would benefit from a recount.  The candidate who was already sworn in as the winner (Wethington) or the candidate that appears to have more votes (Deterra).