Politics & Government

Recount In Milford: School Committee Candidate Faces Friday Deadline

Candidate Gregory Allegrezza lost by two votes. He's collecting signatures to petition for a recount.

2024 Milford School Committee candidate Gregory Allegrezza is working to force a recount after losing by two votes.
2024 Milford School Committee candidate Gregory Allegrezza is working to force a recount after losing by two votes. (Samantha Mercado/Patch)

MILFORD, MA — The fourth-place finisher in this year's Milford School Committee race is on a path toward a recount, actively collecting signatures for the effort ahead of a Friday deadline.

First-time candidate Gregory Allegrezza lost to incumbent Christopher Wilson by two votes, according to official results. That was a reversal from Election Day, when Allegrezza was ahead by 14 votes when vote totals were initially released. The unofficial results did not include many mail-in ballots. Official results released last Thursday showed Allegrezza behind by 12 votes, but that has since been updated to show the two-vote margin.

On Wednesday evening, Allegrezza said he was near collecting "all of the signatures needed." Under state recount rules, he has until Friday at 5 p.m. to collect at least 10 signatures from registered voters in each of Milford's eight precincts.

Find out what's happening in Milfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


RELATED: Milford Candidate Forum: Non-English Speaking Students At Issue


Wilson, who was chair of the school committee over the last year, was running in 2024 for his third term. He finished in third place in the 2018, 2021 and 2024 elections. In the 2018 race, Wilson won by 26 votes.

Find out what's happening in Milfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Wilson said Thursday Allegrezza had contacted him before starting the recount.

"He's following his democratic rights, and I will, too," Wilson said.

Under state law, candidates involved in a recount can have an attorney or supporters witness the vote recount, but Wilson said he wasn't sure if he'd participate due to his full-time job.

Meg Hornberger and Matthew Zacchilli, the other two school committee incumbents this year, comfortably won reelection with 1,615 and 1,878 votes, respectively. Wilson earned 1,490 votes to Allegrezza's 1,488.

Wilson said the incredibly slim margin in the race may be due to the other candidates' large family ties in Milford. Although a town resident for decades, he only has his wife and two children here — but that may be all the difference. Wilson said his son and daughter cast their first votes ever in the spring town election, the same number of votes Wilson is leading by. His daughter had a track meet in Attleboro on Election Day and made it back to Milford just before polls closed.

It was an important lesson for his kids, Wilson said, in demonstrating that every vote counts.


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