Gelfarb: 'Margin Is Very, Very Close'

A half hour before midnight, and more than an hour since the last update from the polls, Republican David Gelfarb decided to head home and "get a good night's sleep."

With 82 percent of districts reporting, Gelfarb has a lead of almost 350 votes in the race for county legislature District 6. That might provide him with some comfort as he left a Republican rally at T&J Villagio Trattoria in Port Chester and headed home, but Gelfarb said he's well aware things could turn around by morning.

"I'm cautious because every vote has to be counted and 18 percent is a heck of a lot when the margin is very, very close," he said.

Gelfarb and Democrat Daniel Brakewood both seek the District 6 seat, which opened up when long-time Legislator Marty Rogowsky announced he'll retire at the end of this year after 13 years total as a county representative.

The winner will represent tens of thousands of constituents in Port Chester, Rye Brook and Harrison, which comprise the district. But the race has significance beyond the borders of those towns -- a Republican win could tip the balance of power in the county legislature, and the race is an anomaly among county-wide contests because there is no incumbent.

In Port Chester, Brakewood was surrounded by supporters at Acuario, a Peruvian restaurant on North Main Street. Despite results that showed Brakewood trailing, the mood remained festive, and Brakewood could be seen analyzing poll data from individual districts.

Throughout the night, Democrats compiled reports from individual districts, adding them to a spreadsheet and displaying the numbers on a projector in the restaurant. Those reports came from campaign volunteers; individual district results are not available on election night from the Board of Elections.

Brakewood was joined by fellow Democrats, including Rye Town supervisor candidate Rico Dos Anjos. Mayor Dennis Pilla and Trustee Luis Marino were on hand to offer support, along with former Port Chester trustees and local political activists.

More than 5,700 votes were counted by late Tuesday night, indicating voters were following the District 6 race despite the lack of state-wide or national contests in an election off-year.

"This was real grassroots politics," Gelfarb said. "I think people came out, and it was really a three-town race, and we're fighting in each of those towns."

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