WESTMINSTER

Councilman Tony Lam, who initially appeared to have lost his seat in this month’s election, has taken a 430-vote lead over challenger Kermit Marsh, according to updated tallies released by the registrar of voters.

After election day, Lam, a six-year councilman and the first Vietnamese American elected to office in the nation, was trailing by 67 votes. But the updated counts of absentee and provisional ballots show him with 5,868, or 18.8% of the vote, over Marsh’s 5,438 votes.

Councilwoman Margie L. Rice kept the top spot, with 6,862 votes, or 22%. Mayor Frank Fry Jr. also kept his position by a 627-vote margin over Councilwoman Joy L. Neugebauer.

The three incumbent Westminster School District Board of Trustees members, Lynn Covey, Michael J. Verrengia and Sondra Rinker, kept their seats as well.

There are still about 1,500 absentee ballots and 6,000 provisional ballots left to count, and the final tally will not be certified until Nov. 24.