Politics & Government

Hevesi Retains Seat Over Newcomer Powietrzynski

Returns were close until the late hours Tuesday night.

had a closer call than many in the area were prepared for during last night's ballot counting, as he spent much of the night just a few hundred votes ahead of

In the end, Hevesi was reelected by just over 2,000 votes. Considering the small, mostly self-financed campaign of Powietrzynski, however, the margin was closer than many expected.

Powietrzynski said he was very grateful for the number of people who supported his candidacy.

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"I am not surprised that so many people wanted to try new and innovative solutions to problems with our government, our economy and many other issues," he said.

Powietrzynski demurred when asked whether he would run again, saying he intends to spend some time focusing on his career, though he promised to be active in the community.

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"We need to come together to bring prosperity to back New York. I will make my decision as to any future run based on whether our elected officials are able to accomplish those things they promised," he said. "If not, I will treat the support I have received as a major factor in my decision [whether or not to run again]."

Hevesi said he was thrilled with the result once all the returns came in.

"In a year when so many have lost faith in our state government, I am honored and humbled by the continued support of the voters in the 28th Assembly District," Hevesi said in a statement. "I thank them for re-electing me to the New York State Assembly and I pledge that I will continue to fight to protect our quality of life, clean up Albany, and ensure that our schools, parks and senior centers gets their fair share."

Several members of both the and contingents, whose nights were over before Powietrzynski's, said they were holding out on the GOP assembly candidate as a last hope for the late hours, until Hevesi started to pull away in the count.

"I'm a little disappointed for Alex," one Como staffer said, "He worked so hard and had almost no money."

Powietrzynski, for his part, spent most of the evening back and forth between Turner's campaign headquarters on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale and Como's just up the street.


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