The main event of Election 2000 is still too close to call, but the local elections are solidified. There was not much change in the local government following this year's elections, but there were some close races.

Although the Presidential Race is still not over, Nassau County spoke out and gave Vice President Al Gore and his running mate Joe Lieberman over 57 percent of their vote, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections. Gore, who ran on the Democratic, Liberal and Working Families Party Lines, received 319,115 votes in Nassau County.

George W. Bush and running mate Dick Cheney, who ran on the Republican and Conservative Party Lines, received 214,204 total votes in Nassau County comprising over 38 percent of the votes. The outcome of the race is too close to call, but official results are expected to be announced within the next few days.

Although Rick Lazio captured more votes than Hillary Rodham Clinton in Nassau County on Tuesday, Statewide results favored Clinton and thus she will be represent New York in the United States Senate for the next six years.

Lazio, who ran on the Republican and Conservative Party Lines, received over 53 percent of the votes in Nassau County. He had 294,502 votes in his favor, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

Clinton, who ran for the Democratic, Liberal and Working Families parties, received 45 percent of the votes in Nassau County. She received a total of 247,466 votes from Nassau County residents.

Congressman Peter King, a resident of Seaford, was re-elected on Tuesday to serve the Third Congressional District for a fifth term. Running on the Republican, Conservative and Right to Life party lines, King received approximately 61 percent of the votes in his district.

King was challenged by Dal LaMagna, a businessman from Sea Cliff who ran on the Democratic, Green and Working Families party lines and Selma Olchin, who ran on the Liberal party line.

Unofficial numbers from the Nassau County Board of Elections show that King won with 135,328 votes while LaMagna received 90,290 votes and Olchin received 1,378 votes.

During his four consecutive terms in Congress, King said he has established an independent record, which he will continue to follow during his fifth term.

"I put New York and Nassau County first, even if that involves breaking away from my own party on certain issues," said King. "I feel that I can work with Democrats on issues that affect Long Island. We have unique issues on Long Island, and they're not Democratic or Republican issues. They are issues that involve people, and we do work together. We are able to put party politics aside."

During his next two years in Congress, King said he hopes to find an answer to both the HMO and prescription drug issues. He added that prescription drugs should be more affordable, and that people should have the right to sue their HMO if they don't get proper treatment.

King said he is very much looking forward to serving two more years in Congress. "I feel very gratified and very relieved," he stated. King continued to explain that he feels very fortunate to serve in Congress for as long as he has, especially in this time in history.

"I've served during impeachment times, the closest presidential race in history, and a very close congressional race," he said. "I feel this is a great time to be alive and be in politics."

Gary Ackerman, who was seeking re-election to his tenth Congressional term, received 34,826 votes on the Democratic, Independent, Liberal and Working Families parties defeating Edward Elkowitz who received a total of 13,380 votes on the Republican and Conservative party lines, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections. Also, Right to Life candidate Anne Robinson received 629.

"I am indebted to the people in the fifth congressional district and Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties for having confidence and electing me to represent them in Washington for the next two years," said Ackerman.

Incumbent Carl L. Marcellino, who has represented the Fifth Senatorial District since 1995, defeated his opponents on Tuesday electing him to his fourth term. He received over 53 percent of the votes, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

Marcellino, who ran on the Republican, Independent and Conservative Party lines, received 34,595 votes compared to the Democratic, Green and Working Families Party candidate, Larry Silverman's 28,915 votes, Liberal Candidate Carole A. Lawson's 442 votes and Right to Life Candidate Gerrard Crosson's 1,315 votes.

"I am very pleased with the people of the Fifth Senate District that they had faith in me and gave me their confidence by voting for me and making me their representative in Albany for the next two years," said Marcellino.

Marcellino plans to start where he left off. "I intend to go back and make sure that our environmental bills that are still there are refinanced," he said. "That is the paramount issue that I am looking at from an environmental standpoint."

Another concern of Marcellino's is health care issues. "We are going to have to work on some health care issues, mainly affordable drugs and prescriptions," he said. "We also want to keep taxes down as we always do and make sure that we bring the dollars back to Long Island where they belong for education. The issues do not change."

New York State Senator Kemp Hannon has been re-elected to serve his seventh term in the State Assembly, defeating three other candidates who sought to unseat him.

Hannon, who ran on the Republican, Independence, and Conservative Party lines defeated Mark Keefe, who ran on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, Brian Evans who ran on the Liberal Party line and Paul Callahan who ran on the Right-to-Life Party lines. Both Hannon and Callahan are from Garden City, while both Evans and Keefe are from Uniondale.

The 6th Senatorial District includes areas such as Garden City, Levittown, Farmingdale, Uniondale, Franklin Square, Plainview, North Massapequa, and East Meadow.

Hannon received, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections, 51,918 votes to Keefe's 44,526 votes, Callahan's 2,573 votes and Evans 607 votes.

Hannon, who is chair of the Senate's Health Committee, also serves on the Labor and Codes Committee; the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committees; the Elections Committee; Energy and Telecommunications Committee and the Insurance Committee. Health issues have been a real concern to Hannon and in his tenure he has worked on the Health Care Reform Act of 2000, sponsored and helped enact laws allowing patients to challenge decisions by HMOs, and helped enact the Physician's Profiling Bill recently signed into law by the governor. Hannon is also responsible for laws which reform cancer registry reporting, facilitate organ donation in the state, and ease the use of the drug Epinephrine to treat serious allergic reactions. These issues and all issues affecting his constituents are of the utmost importance to him, according to Hannon.

Of his re-election the senator said, "I think it is a reflection that I addressed the concerns about issues that were on people's minds, provided solid problem-solving solutions to casework that was called in or written into the office, and have been attentive to the district."

Incumbent candidate David Sidikman won the 13th Assembly District Race with 28,457 votes from the Democratic and Independent party Lines, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

Newcomer Neil Bergin received 14,729 votes from the Republican and Conservative Party lines. Liberal Candidate Derreck Johnson received 363 votes and Green Party candidate Jeffrey Peress received 313 votes.

Sidikman was first elected to the New York State Assembly in a special election in 1992 and subsequently re-elected in every election since.

"I have been representing for nine years and I still have the same energy and enthusiasm as I did for the job in the beginning," said Sidikman. "Geographically it is a wide district and I am in every part of it. We help people a lot and we do it well."

Assemblyman Marc Herbst, who has represented the 14th Assembly District since he won a special election in February 1994, won by a large margin against two opponents on Tuesday night.

Herbst, who was the first Hicksville resident ever elected to the state legislature, defeated Liberal candidate Barbara Bubin-Buonagura, and Democrat Gary Burke to retain his seat. Burke also challenged on the Working Families Party line. Herbst ran on the Republican, Independence, Conservative, and Right-to-Life Party lines. According to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections Herbst received 28,276 votes to Burke's 16,255 votes and Buonagura's 409 votes.

The 14th Assembly District encompasses Hicksville, Island Trees, Seaford, Wantagh, and parts of Bethpage, Jericho, Levittown, North Wantagh, and Plainview.

Herbst is the ranking Republican member of the Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation, serves on the Legislative Commission on Critical Transportation Choices, and on the MTA Review Board. In addition he is the Ranking Republican on the Assembly Standing Committee on Energy and serves on the LIPA Clean Energy Panel. He is also the New York State Public Sector Chair for the American Legislative Exchange Council which is the largest, bipartisan individual membership association of state legislators.

Following his re-election, Herbst stated, "I would like to thank all the voters of the 14th Assembly District who showed overwhelming support of me in this re-election campaign. In the coming term I will continue to work toward lowering taxes and bringing more services and funding to the Long Island region."

A Fifth Term for Donna Ferrara in the 15th District

Incumbent Assemblywoman Donna Ferrara has won her fifth term representing the 15th Assembly District by defeating opponents Darlene Sigalow and Catherine Malone.

Ferrara ran on the Republican, Independence, Conservative and Working Families Party lines. Sigalow ran on the Democratic and Liberal lines and Malone ran on the Right-to-Life Party line.

First elected to serve in the assembly in 1992, Ferrara previously served as a legislative aide for Norman Levy and legislative counsel for Senator Kemp Hannon, as well as deputy town attorney for the Town of Hempstead.

Very active in her local community of Westbury and the surrounding areas in her district, Ferrara pointed to her many accomplishments as an assemblywoman in her re-election bid. Health care and the environment are two issues in which the assemblywoman has been very active in her tenure and she plans to continue her work in these areas and others in the coming term.

According to the unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections, Ferrara received 27, 546 votes, to Sigalow's 15,633 votes and Malone's 1,035 votes.

Following her re-election Ferrara stated, "I am very proud of the campaign. I worked very hard and I thought we had a great message and I'm pleased with the victory."

Susie Trenkle contributed to this article