YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown Councilwoman Basia Adamczak, who lost reelection to the 7th Ward seat by eight votes, has conceded the race to Amber White and won’t file a lawsuit seeking to overturn the outcome.

“It is a decision born out of respect for the sanctity of our electoral system and the need for transparency in our democratic system,” said Adamczak, a Democrat who will finish her second two-year term on city council at the end of the month.

But Adamczak on Wednesday called for a “thorough and comprehensive investigation by the Ohio secretary of state to ensure the trust and faith of our citizens in our democratic institutions.”

She also pointed to what she referred to as “irregularities (that) have cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election — concerns ranging from residency requirements to whether convicted felons are able to hold office to the validity of an up-spike of voter registration within the 7th Ward. Despite these strong indications of irregularities, it is with a heavy heart that I concede the election.”

White, the first independent to win a council seat since 1995, never had her residency formally challenged and lists a house on Mount Vernon Avenue in the 7th Ward as her home address on her voter registration.

White was convicted in 2012 of four drug felonies, but her record was sealed in 2021. That means her criminal record no longer exists.

Also, the Mahoning County Board of Elections investigated issues raised by Adamczak and a supporter of Republican Josie Lyon, who finished last in the race, about the residency of people at two addresses in the 7th Ward connected to White. Those investigations by board officials determined there were no irregularities.

“Every complaint that was filed was looked into, and I have followed all the legal requirements needed to hold the position,” White said. “She’s not going to follow through because she knows it’s not going to lead anywhere.”

White added of Adamczak: “She was trying to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. She tried everything, and it didn’t work. To me, she knew from the beginning that I did everything legally. But the election is over. I’m preparing to start serving, and I’m very excited about the position. Nothing will ever be good enough in her eyes.”

The 7th Ward race was the most competitive and bitter in Youngstown during the recent election.

White received 679 votes to 671 for Adamczak and 339 for Lyon. White’s margin of victory over Adamczak was 0.48 of a percent.

Adamczak said while this “chapter may come to a close, my commitment to serve the community remains resolute. I look forward to continuing to serve the 7th Ward, the city of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley in a different capacity.”

At Adamczak’s last council meeting, next Wednesday, she is sponsoring legislation to spend the $1,443,074 she has remaining in her ward’s $2 million American Rescue Plan allocation.

Council voted in April 2022 to give each of its seven members $2 million each from the city’s $82,775,370 ARP allocation. Adamczak spearheaded the move to raise the council allocation from $1 million per member to $2 million.

The largest request from Adamczak at next week’s meeting is $1.3 million for the Youngstown Foundation to serve as fiscal agent for a major improvement project at Ipe Kids World in her ward, turning it into the city’s first all-inclusive park and the biggest such park in the state.

“I have projects that were underway and plans to spend the money in a particular fashion,” Adamczak said. “I was going to spend it in the first or second quarter of next year. There was no rush to have the legislation passed” before her defeat.

White said of Adamczak’s plan: “If her last act on council is to empty the remaining ARP funds, it clearly would not be in the best interests of the 7th Ward and comes off as a spiteful act.”

Asked if she didn’t want White to have control over the ward’s remaining ARP funds, Adamczak said: “There’s no reason for her to have her hands on this money. It’s not because I don’t want her to have the money, but I already had plans based on what the residents wanted.”