It’s Tresham Gregg by a nose.

Gregg beat out candidate Jerry Lapp for a Haines Borough Assembly seat by only 12 votes, according to Tuesday night’s election canvass results. The final results, which are set to be certified at the Oct. 27 assembly meeting, are Gregg, 430, and Lapp, 418.

Prior to the counting of outstanding ballots at the canvass, Gregg and Lapp had been tied with 411 votes each.

Candidate Margaret Friedenauer, who was the clear winner of one seat even before the canvass, picked up another 20 votes from the outstanding ballots, for a grand total of 649 votes.

An additional 25 votes ended up being counted at the canvass. Four absentee-by-mail votes were disqualified because the voter didn’t have the return envelope signed by an official or witness, and four questioned ballots were also thrown out because the people were not registered to vote in the state of Alaska or the Haines Borough.

Gregg said in an interview after the canvass that he wasn’t surprised by the outcome. “As Jerry said in the paper, it was realized the vote would probably go in my favor with the absentees, and we all kind of felt that, too. It wasn’t a big surprise, but of course you feel relieved that you don’t have to be in suspense anymore. It’s very comforting to think that so many people cared enough to vote for me, and I thank them very much for their support,” he said.

During public comment, Gregg told assembly members he was impressed with their ability to understand so many issues and processes, and admitted he was “a little bit frightened” of having to step up to that challenge himself.

Lapp did not return a call for comment by press time.

Friedenauer and Gregg will be sworn in and seated at the Oct. 27 meeting after the election is certified.

Outgoing assembly members Dave Berry and Joanne Waterman said their goodbyes Tuesday, but both said just because they were stepping down now, doesn’t mean they won’t be back later.

“I really have enjoyed my time on the council and the assembly most of the time, but circumstances in my life have made it so I can’t serve anymore,” Berry said. “If I get healthy again, I might be back. So don’t count me out.”

Waterman said the role has been a challenge, but the learning process helped make her a better person. She also shouldn’t be ruled out as a future candidate.

“Like Dave, I’m not totally out. I’m around. It’s just a respite, I think. The bug has bitten,” Waterman said.