It was a small but enthusiastic crowd that gathered at the Polish Hall in Glen Cove to await the returns in the Democratic primary race between Assemblyman Charles Lavine and Kevin Langberg on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Many of Assemblyman Lavine's supporters were at, or headed, to the Chateau Briand, where Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi awaited the results of the gubernatorial primary; and, in fact, Assemblyman Lavine himself did not stay in Glen Cove for the final count, wanting to join the county executive at his gathering.

By 9:30 p.m., however, the assemblyman gathered his supporters to remark that, while not all districts had as yet reported, the results that had come in were so overwhelmingly in his favor, he believed victory would be his when the final tally was made. He thanked his family, supporters, volunteers, staff and everyone who had helped in his campaign to be the Democratic nominee in the November election for the State Assembly. In November, Assemblyman Lavine will face challenger Steve Gonzalez of Glen Cove, the Republican candidate for the seat.

Assemblyman Lavine noted that all the ads against him in the press placed by both supporters of Mr. Langberg and Republican groups sounded "extremely similar...almost identical" and that, rather than addressing the issues, were all of a more personal nature. He spoke of his critics, saying, "All of you who say you are against taxes, you who say you like no tax at all, I see there is one tax you do like - personal attacks."

Speaking with this reporter on Wednesday, Assemblyman Lavine stated, "Our victory last night sends a very strong signal, The voters of the

13th District demand that the reforms - which began in Albany two years ago-continue. As we head into the fall elections, we will expand upon this message to ensure that our voices will be heard loud and clear in the capital."

According to the board of elections, Assemblyman Lavine received 2,978 votes to Mr. Langberg's 1,209 votes. It was remarked that the placement of the assembly candidates, at the far right of the ballot, led to a lower number of votes, as many voters stated after voting that they had not seen the Lavine/Langberg names on the lines.