A recount held today at the Lee County Board of Elections Office in Sanford confirmed Mark Akinosho’s one-vote win over Ken Britton in the Democratic primary for the city’s Ward 1 council seat. Akinosho will now face Republican Blaine Sutton in July.

The final vote count was Akinosho 246, Britton 245.

Britton was up by three votes after the May 17 primary, but four absentee ballots that were counted 10 days later all went to Akinosho, giving him the slight edge.

Akinosho is a pastor, business owner and former chairman of the Lee County Board of Education.

The Ward 1 seat on the Sanford City Council, which covers most of west Sanford, was vacated by Democrat Sam Gaskins, who ran for mayor this spring. Gaskins was defeated in the primary by fellow council member Rebecca Wyhof Salmon, who enters the July election uncontested (no Republicans filed for the seat).

The Sanford Municipal Election will be held on July 26. The Ward 1 race and an at-large city council race between Republican Richard Porter and Democrat Linda Rhodes will be the only contested races on the ballot.