Recount expected as Coun. Sean Chu wins Ward 4 race by 52 votes amid controversy

A city councillor who won re-election in Calgary's municipal election by a razor-thin margin — and amid controversy — will likely face a recount launched by his primary opponent.

Ward 4 incumbent Sean Chu, who has served as a city councillor since 2013, led his closest rival DJ Kelly by just 52 votes with all stations reporting at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday, according to Elections Calgary.

The results were delayed Monday night following technical problems with a couple of electronic vote tabulators. In the final tally, Chu received 12,422 votes to Kelly's 12,370.

Chu's narrow victory comes amid recent reports that he was found guilty of discreditable conduct when he was a police officer for having inappropriate physical contact with a minor.

Before the results for Ward 4's race came in, Calgary's mayor-elect Jyoti Gondek seemed to imply on Tuesday morning that if Chu were the winner, he should concede.

"I would hope that Sean Chu understands the magnitude of what this brings to council if he's successful, and I hope he makes a decision that would be in the best interest of Calgarians," Gondek told the Calgary Eyeopener.

Meanwhile, Kelly announced around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday that his team is in the process of applying for a recount under the Local Authorities Elections Act.

"We are very fortunate to live in a democratic society where every vote counts, and we intend to ensure that the voice of every Calgarian in Ward 4 is heard," Kelly's statement said in part.

"As we went throughout every neighbourhood in Ward 4, knocking on more than 11,000 doors and connecting with neighbours, it never escaped me that I was running for my community. They're not going anywhere, so I'm not going anywhere, no matter what the final result is."

Candidates have until 4 p.m. on Wednesday to request a recount. All results are still considered unofficial until certified on Friday.

CBC News reached out to Chu for comment on the results Monday night, when he led the race by over 700 votes with 28 out of 30 stations reporting, but has yet to get a response.

Chu has been under scrutiny since CBC News broke the story last week that when he was a 34-year-old police officer  in 1997 he faced allegations that involved a 16-year-old girl.

Details in the story came from two Law Enforcement Review Board decisions on appeals filed in connection with the internal police investigation. 

Chu said he was found guilty of misconduct for touching her leg under a table in a public place, in a statement provided to CBC News.