AUBURN - With numbers for mayor ebbing and flowing all night, city residents will continue to have a nail-biter of a race.
Democrat Michael Quill is 42 votes ahead of incumbent Timothy Lattimore, leaving the absentee ballots to determine who will take the title of Auburn mayor.
David Dempsey, Independence Party candidate, earned 700 votes in the preliminary numbers.
Lattimore, who ran on Conservative and Republican party lines, said he would not concede the race unless he was down by 300 votes.
Not including absentee ballots, Quill has 2,913 while Lattimore has 2,871. The Cayuga County Board of Elections will start tallying the estimated 500 paper ballots next week.
The close race will leave both men - and city residents - waiting for a victor to be declared.
“We still have (500) votes out there. I'll survive,” Lattimore said. “It's a nail-biter but I'm happy to come off the machines with 42 votes (behind) with 2 to 1 (Democrats to Republicans).”
Quill, a retired Auburn fire chief, stressed a new direction for city hall during his campaign.
Throughout the campaigns, all three candidates had to answer for their pasts. During debates, people have probed Quill about the controversial fire union contract, which some officials have blamed for boosting overtime costs.
“We beat it up pretty good in the debates. I can't say how it will affect the outcome,” Quill said.
Dempsey and Lattimore have to deal with questions about their fistfight in October 2004, which took place during a council meeting.
Dempsey forced a Democratic primary, but lost to Quill. Some people wondered if Dempsey, by remaining in the race, would take votes away from Quill and help Lattimore get re-elected.
According to reports filled with the Cayuga County Board of Elections, the Committee to Re-Elect Tim Lattimore spent the most, nearly $21,800. Quill's camp spent less than half with nearly $10,700. Dempsey did not report any expenses.
“My opponent is very strong; he had 2 to 1 in his favor,” Lattimore said, referring to the amount of registered Democratic voters. “I feel that absentee ballots are in my favor.”
Dempsey did not answer phone calls seeking comment Tuesday night.
“Nothing's going to be decided tonight. I'm neither optimistic or pessimistic I've been fire chief all these years. You can't get too excited over it. We're going to hang in there for 10 days,” Quill said.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached 253-5311 ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
David Dempsey, Independence Party candidate, earned 700 votes in the preliminary numbers.
Lattimore, who ran on Conservative and Republican party lines, said he would not concede the race unless he was down by 300 votes.
Not including absentee ballots, Quill has 2,913 while Lattimore has 2,871. The Cayuga County Board of Elections will start tallying the estimated 500 paper ballots next week.
The close race will leave both men - and city residents - waiting for a victor to be declared.
“We still have (500) votes out there. I'll survive,” Lattimore said. “It's a nail-biter but I'm happy to come off the machines with 42 votes (behind) with 2 to 1 (Democrats to Republicans).”
Quill, a retired Auburn fire chief, stressed a new direction for city hall during his campaign.
Throughout the campaigns, all three candidates had to answer for their pasts. During debates, people have probed Quill about the controversial fire union contract, which some officials have blamed for boosting overtime costs.
“We beat it up pretty good in the debates. I can't say how it will affect the outcome,” Quill said.
Dempsey and Lattimore have to deal with questions about their fistfight in October 2004, which took place during a council meeting.
Dempsey forced a Democratic primary, but lost to Quill. Some people wondered if Dempsey, by remaining in the race, would take votes away from Quill and help Lattimore get re-elected.
According to reports filled with the Cayuga County Board of Elections, the Committee to Re-Elect Tim Lattimore spent the most, nearly $21,800. Quill's camp spent less than half with nearly $10,700. Dempsey did not report any expenses.
“My opponent is very strong; he had 2 to 1 in his favor,” Lattimore said, referring to the amount of registered Democratic voters. “I feel that absentee ballots are in my favor.”
Dempsey did not answer phone calls seeking comment Tuesday night.
“Nothing's going to be decided tonight. I'm neither optimistic or pessimistic I've been fire chief all these years. You can't get too excited over it. We're going to hang in there for 10 days,” Quill said.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached 253-5311 ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
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