Just days after being unseated in a historic municipal ouster, former School Committee Chairman Henry W. Diggs announced last night that he will formally file for a recount of the September 5 election results and intends to run in the upcoming October 24 recall election.

Recall Fallout and Legal Qualification Questions

Diggs lost his seat to challenger Thomas DiFrancia by a razor-thin margin of just five votes. With the filing deadline looming, Diggs noted he would consult with Town Clerk Bartley W. Connolly to resolve potential procedural conflicts regarding whether a candidate subject to a recount can simultaneously submit nomination papers—due Tuesday—to run in the subsequent October 24 special recall election.

“I expect to run Oct. 24,” Diggs declared, expressing frustration that his removal has severely restricted his civic activities due to state rules barring recalled officials from appointment to other municipal posts for two years. Diggs was unseated alongside committee members Richard W. Kief and John H. Chisholm. A second wave of recalls targeting four remaining members—Rudith Berkowitz, William F. Egan, Joan H. Cuff, and Joseph M. Pentowski—has been synchronized with the October 24 ballot. Diggs acknowledged he has not yet determined which incumbent he will challenge, though a successful recount could theoretically restore him to his original seat while his nomination papers run alongside the ballot.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger

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