The County Legislature will stay under Republican control, but Democrats did thin the ranks of the GOP majority.

Democrats picked up two new seats Tuesday night - Dick Beebe in the 6th District and Carmen Gumina in the 8th District - but failed to pick up the third seat they needed to take the majority.

Several of the contested Legislature races were won by a slim majority. Newcomer Republican Anthony Daniele, for example, beat out Democrat Ted Nixon by less than 3 percent of the 10th District vote. And incumbent Republican Dick Yolevich held on to his seat by beating Democratic challenger Todd Dunn by 3 percent.

Republicans Mark Casetti, Tony LaFountain, Mike Barker, Jeff Adair, and Dan Quatro will return to their seats. Democrats Ted O'Brien, Steve Eckel, Glenn Gamble, and Willie Lightfoot also won re-election. Democrat Vincent Esposito was elected to fill the 16th District seat, which fellow Democrat Stephanie Aldersley is vacating due to term limits.

It's likely that County Executive Maggie Brooks' FAIR Plan did push some voters to cast their ballots for Democrats, but it just wasn't enough. Republicans, on the other hand, may have been helped by a controversial mailer that linked Democrats with Governor Eliot Spitzer's controversial plan to allow undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses. (The Fair Elections Practices Committee on Monday said the mailer was unethical and called on Republican candidates to repudiate it.)

Neither issue seemed to be enough, however, to drive voters to the polls. Voter turnout was pegged at 29 percent at 8 p.m., said WROC channel 8. In 2003, the last year the county executive race was on the ballot, county-wide voter turnout was 52 percent at the 8 p.m. mark.

As expected, Republican Maggie Brooks was re-elected as county executive. Working Families Party candidate Patrick Christopher, her only challenger, received 26 percent of the vote.

In the other key county-wide races, Democratic District Attorney Mike Green beat Republican Cara Briggs. Both candidates waged a heated campaign.

There was a surprise upset in Chili as political newcomer David Dunning, a Democrat, defeated two-term Republican incumbent Tracy Logel.

There were no surprises in city races.  Democrats Willa Powell, Allen Williams, Malik Evans, and Melisza Campos swept the School Board races, while Democrats Lovely Warren, Elaine Spaull, Adam McFadden, and Carla Palumbo defeated any and all challengers for City Council.

Because of Palumbo's City Council victory, Democrats in the County Legislature will have to appoint someone to her seat.