By Angela Marshall and Jeff Lipton
Republican Anthony Santino defeated Democrat Jerry Lamonica for the new Fourth District seat on the Hempstead Town Council. His victory helped lead to the return of a Republicans majority on the council.
In unofficial totals released at 1 A.M., Councilman Santino, of East Rockaway, collected 26,150 votes to Mr. Lamonica's 23,625 votes. Final results were not available at presstime.
Mr. Santino, who has been an at-large councilmember since 1993, said the Republicans have fared well in this year's election "because of their outstanding record."
"I'm very happy with my campaign," Mr. Lamonica said. "I got 54 percent of the vote in Oceanside, which is my hometown, so I feel like a winner anyhow."
The Fourth District, which was created this year following a lawsuit against the town requiring the end of the at-large system, takes in Baldwin, Oceanside, Island Park, Rockville Centre, East Rockaway, the Hewletts and part of South Hempstead.
In other races, incumbent Democrat Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy handily won reelection to a third term in the Fourth Congressional District, beating Republican challenger Greg Becker by a vote of 128,484 to 83,469.
Eight-term incumbent State Senator Dean Skelos, a Republican, easily defeated Democrat Ed Oppenheimer for the Ninth Senate District seat by a vote of 68,890 to 43,799.
Republicans also took the lead in the race for local state assembly positions. Bob Barra was able to keep the 21st Assembly District seat in Republican hands despite the fact that Incumbent Jim Darcy decided not to run. Assemblyman-elect Barra defeated Democratic challenger Alan Bergstein with 25,643 votes to 18,708.
"It doesn't really matter what the numbers in the polls are," Congresswoman McCarthy said as her lead piled up. "What matters is taking care of people in Nassau County."
Senator Skelos said, "There's an awful lot that has been written about the five state senators [from Nassau County]. But if I count correctly, we're all back."
Mr. Oppenheimer defended his campaign saying, "[I was a] credible candidate with credible ideas running against someone whose never had opposition."
