MENTOR, Ohio — Mentor’s at-large City Council race will head to an automatic recount after certified results Tuesday showed Brian Cook ahead of Annie Payne by a single vote — a margin so small it triggered Ohio’s mandatory review process.

Cook finished with 5,554 votes (46.21%), while Payne received 5,553 votes (46.20%). Barry Sneed earned 913 votes (7.6%).

The Lake County Board of Elections voted Tuesday to order a recount, which will begin Dec. 2 at 8:30 a.m. The decision came immediately after certifying all absentee and provisional ballots.

The race is among the closest in Mentor’s recent history, officials said. Payne had led Cook by three votes in the unofficial count before late-arriving and provisional ballots pushed Cook ahead.

Payne acknowledged earlier this month that close

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