By Cindi Andrews
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Two incumbent mayors hoping to hang onto their seats have asked Hamilton County elections officials for recounts of their November races.

Norwood Mayor Victor Schneider, who lost by 26 votes on Nov. 4, and Woodlawn Mayor Susan Upton Farley, who lost by 28 votes, paid $10 per precinct to have their races recounted. Norwood has 25 precincts, Woodlawn four.

"I think it is important to make sure the election results are true and accurate, due to the fact that it was such a close election," Schneider said. "The people who supported me and helped with the campaign deserve it."

Schneider, appointed by Norwood's Republican Party to replace Joe Hochbein, was mayor for about six months before losing a close race to Councilman Thomas Williams.

Farley had been mayor for more than a decade before losing to Woodlawn Councilman Raymond Terrell.

A third unsuccessful mayoral candidate - Charles Hughes of Golf Manor - also beat Monday's deadline to request a recount of his village's four precincts, Hamilton County Elections Director Julia Stautberg said. Hughes lost to fellow Councilman Alan Zaffiro by just six votes.

All three recounts will be completed Dec. 2.

The Board of Elections also conducted automatic recounts Monday in eight races in which the final results were within half a percentage point of each other. None of the outcomes changed.

In the Cincinnati City Council race, for instance, ninth-place finisher David Crowley lost two votes in the recount but easily kept his seat with a total of 23,319 votes, compared to 22,582 for runner-up Damon Lynch III.

Fairfax's effort to pass a 0.5 percent income-tax increase also failed to get the single vote it needed to pass in the recount.

Fairfax Mayor Ted Shannon said the village plans to try again in March, the next time working harder to explain why the increase is needed.

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Reporter Jennifer Edwards contributed. E-mail candrews@enquirer.com