One Vote Separates Candidates In Eatontown, N.J., Mayoral Race

EATONTOWN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Eatontown, New Jersey, is proof that your one vote really does matter.

Two candidates ran for mayor in the Monmouth County town Tuesday, but no winner has been declared because it's too close to call. As of Thursday evening, just one vote separated them, CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reported.

"Wow, that's crazy," said one woman. "That's like unheard of."

Unheard of, but obviously not impossible.

"We need a recount just to make sure," said Gregory Guarino, a Neptune resident who owns property in Eatontown.

Democrat Gerald Tarantolo, mayor for the past 16 years, has the advantage for now. He thinks he'll squeak by and win a fifth four-year term.

"People say, 'My vote doesn't count,'" Tarantolo said. "Well, here's a specific incident where one vote does count.

"I call it an ant-slide," he said. "I'm winning by an ant-slide, one vote."

His competitor, Borough Council President Dennis Connelly, never thought the race would be so close.

"I know people that didn't come out and vote," he said.

Connelly, a Republican, said people keep coming up to him apologizing for not making it to the polls Tuesday.

When asked what he says to those people, Connelly said: "Please stop telling me these stories. ... It's painful, yes."

"I have very close friends that went off to Europe, and they forgot to vote," Tarantolo said.

Despite those disappointments, there's hope for both candidates. Thirteen provisional ballots, now in the hands of the county, still need to be counted.

"I really feel like I'm going to be victorious here," Connelly said.

Both the politicians and the people in Eatontown are hopeful that the final tally will be announced in the next week.

However, a recount is likely regardless of who is declared the winner.

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