In Venditto-Mangelli race, incumbent takes lead as Oyster Bay count ends

Oyster Bay Town's Republican Supervisor John Venditto led his Democratic rival by 96 votes after the last absentee ballot was counted Wednesday, officials said.

However, a state judge might have to decide which candidate won -- Venditto, whose reputation was dented by the town's rising debt and corruption probes; or John Mangelli, who questioned some of the administration's contracting deals and lack of transparency.

Democrats challenged about 241 of the ballots, while Republicans objected to 208, officials said. And both sides contested the same five ballots.

The tally for the nine-term GOP incumbent was 23,179 versus 23,083 for Mangelli, the two parties agreed.

Mangelli noted he and Venditto were less than 1 percentage point apart, with the Republican at 50.8 percent, and the Democrat at 49.87 percent.

"Now the board will undergo its process of reviewing the objections and ultimately the objections may have to be ruled upon by the court. The process is continuing," Mangelli said by email.

Mangelli was ahead by 68 votes before officials counted the 1,780 absentee ballots and 51 emergency ballots, used when the machines fail.

The two sides are expected to start Thursday to analyze the contested ballots with the Board of Elections.

"We will review what's in the objection box," said John Ciampoli, Venditto's attorney. "If we are very good at our work, after tomorrow there will be none," he said.

Earlier, Mangelli said by email that it "is very important that democracy prevail."

David Gugerty, the Democratic elections commissioner, saluted the board's bipartisan staffers.

"This type of close election proves once again that every citizen's vote does count, and I appreciate the bipartisan work of the Board of Elections employees who handled each of those votes respectfully and carefully."