"We have a sweep!" So stated Mayor Ralph V. Suozzi to a cheering crowd of supporters as the final numbers in the 2007 Glen Cove mayoral and city council election on Tuesday, Nov. 6 were posted on boards at the Metropolitan. But even before all of the city's 19 districts had reported, the buzz though the crowd was building, as it became more and more evident, even to those with limited math skills, that the mayor and his team of city council candidates were all headed to city hall, some for a return term, some for the first time.

At press time, the numbers were still uncertified; however, according to Democratic Commissioner William Biamonte at the Nassau County Board of Elections, Mayor Suozzi garnered 3,275 votes, or 56.4 percent; Reggie Spinello received 1,589 votes, or 27.3 percent; and Bob Benazzi earned 938 votes, or 16.1 percent. It should be noted that while Mayor Suozzi and his team ran on the Glen Cove Voters Party line and were cross-endorsed by the Democratic Party, 2,873 votes, or 88 percent, were cast for the mayor on the Democratic line. The numbers for council candidates were comparable. Mayor Suozzi thanked his supporters for their efforts "in 2005, for the past two years, and for today." He added that the city's citizens obviously want "truth, and nothing but the truth, in government" and that they believe in "truth, justice and the American way."

First time city council candidate Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said, "I'm very happy that our whole team won - it's wonderful. I look forward to working with this great group of people." Ms. DeRiggi-Whitton added that the "political gene" she has possessed all her life "is not the recessive gene I thought it to be." The councilwoman-elect is the daughter of former Glen Cove Mayor and retired Nassau County Judge, the Hon. Donald DeRiggi.

City Councilman Nick DiLeo stated, "I would like to thank Glen Cove for the vote of confidence they have shown me, my fellow city council members and Mayor Suozzi. I will be responsible to each and every citizen of Glen Cove and I assure them that we will move this city in the right direction. I will not take this responsibility lightly."

Political newcomer Sean Dwyer said, "This is a great night for the City of Glen Cove. Our entire ticket has their hearts in the right place and will be doing the right thing for the city they love."

Michael Famiglietti, who also ran his inaugural political race, said, "First, I would like to say I am proud of the positive campaign we ran. I believe the people have spoken loud and clear and they can be assured the team will work hard and diligently for the best interests of the City of Glen Cove. I would also like to thank the Glen Cove Democrats for supporting our independent party, and especially thank David Swirnoff and Tom Suozzi for their help.

City Councilman Tony Jimenez said, "I'm very happy that the citizens have shown such good faith in me by electing me to this position again. We have a fantastic team which has the City of Glen Cove at heart and we will all work very hard for the city."

City Councilman Tim Tenke stated, "It is evident by the overwhelming support that the majority of the city residents are in favor of the direction Mayor Suozzi is taking the city. They like the open and honest approach he brings to government. As councilman, I will continue to work with the mayor and fellow council members to stabilize our taxes, reduce the deficit, control illegal housing and support smart development of the city and waterfront."

Legislator Diane Yatauro was re-elected to serve in the 18th Legislative District, and she thanked her supporters and laughed that while the evening was festive, it was "back to work tomorrow."

Republican mayoral candidate Reggie Spinello stated, "There were no losers in this race. Everyone ran a clean race, everyone tried to do what was good for Glen Cove, but the people of Glen Cove decided to give Mayor Suozzi another chance and the voice of the people is what matters." He thanked all his supporters and added that "This is not the end; the journey has just begun."

Candidate Bob Benazzi came to the Metropolitan to congratulate Mayor Suozzi and the mayor graciously introduced him by commenting that "Bob made me a better candidate by forcing me to get more information out to the people." Mr. Benazzi said, "All three candidates ran good races. While we have differences of opinions, I think we found by the last debate that we truly like each other. A lot of issues were raised in this campaign and while Ralph won the election, in fact, 27,000 people won today. Now it's time for us all to get behind the mayor with our support." As he shook Mayor Suozzi's hand, Mr. Benazzi quipped, "Maybe we'll do this again in two years."

For complete election results, visit the Nassau County Board of Elections website: www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/BOE/.

Zachary Feigman contributed to this story.