With all the absentee ballots counted in the last contested Cayuga County Legislature race, even with some new faces, you should not expect a lot of change immediately, with one exception. Even though Legislature Chairman George Fearon, R-Springport, has won re-election by the narrowest of margins (27 votes) it is unlikely that he will be re-elected chairman.

Several members of the Legislature have indicated that Fearon, despite his win, still has the cloud of Asbestosgate following him, making it unlikely he will seek another term or can be re-elected. There are three front-runners to succeed him.

The most obvious candidate is Peter Tortorici, R-Auburn, who, despite not having an opponent last week, ran an active re-election campaign and is running even harder for chairman. He may have some support among those who consider him a reformer, but he has lost his three biggest supporters in the body - Legislators David Pappert, R-Auburn, and Michele Sedor, D-Sennett, did not seek re-election and Michael Lepak, D-Auburn, was term-limited out of the Legislature.

Tortorici was one of those who opposed Fearon for a second term last January. Making matters tougher for him has been a natural inclination among majority Republicans (currently nine come from outside the city) not to have supported a city Republican to be chair in some time.

The front-runner for many is former chairman Raymond Lockwood, R-Aurelius, who has a number of supporters in the current Legislature; and a few new legislators have also indicated support for him. It looks, with the passage of last week's term-limit legislation, that his time clock has been re-set and he can not only stay for the next two years in the Legislature, but could serve another three terms (though he has told at least one supporter that he will likely leave the Legislature after his current term finishes).

That may determine whether a third possible candidate throws her hat in the ring. Ann Petrus, R-Brutus, who for the first time in any of her election campaigns did not have an opponent this year, has been re-elected to a full four-year term. Several political observers believe she has some support to be the second female chair in the Legislature's history. Yet, to avoid a split among rural Republicans, she may step aside for Lockwood if he plans on retiring in two years, so as not to allow Tortorici to put a winning coalition together.

This may all be decided relatively soon. While the GOP usually caucuses in mid-December to pick its nominee, its members may do it this month to end back-room maneuvering.

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com