The scene tonight in Democratic Leader David Weinberger's office (David is on the phone, Gila Cohen is standing behind him, in the blue shirt) Judge David Cohen is trailing in a tight race

It was a tense couple of hours at the Ralph Lippman auditorium building at 551 Grand Street, where the Harry S. Truman Democratic club has settled a few years ago. In the club office, local Democratic leader David Weinberger was glued to the phone collecting precinct results, surrounded by a band of bone-tired campaign workers.

Two major races were on everybody’s mind: State Senator Martin Connor’s bout with challenger Ken Diamondstone, and the three-way race for Civil Court Judge between Margaret A. Chan, David Cohen, and Andrea Masley.

Judge David Cohen and his campaign manager Juda Engelmayer showed up shortly after 9 PM, and they both appeared concerned. David’s wife, Gila, who’s been a devoted supporter throughout the campaign, was already in Weinberger’s office, grappling for fresh results.

It was a seesaw battle, with advantages changing back and forth, between Cohen and Chan. Masley was the decided spoiler, trailing both her opponents by a margin of 2-1.

As things stood at 11 PM, Chan was holding a slight lead, with several hundred paper ballots yet to be counted. The final report from the precincts is: