Long-time legislator Michael Lane will be returning to the table after a count of absentee ballots on Thursday put him 104 votes ahead of Republican challenger Jim Crawford in the race to represent District 14 in the Tompkins County Legislature.

The final tally was 810 to 745 after some 100 absentee and special ballots were inspected and counted at the Board of Elections offices, and Crawford reached across the table to shake Lane's hand as he conceded defeat.

Lane, an attorney and former Dryden mayor, said he is eager to get back in the game after a four-year hiatus, during which his seat was filled by Republican Michael Hattery.

"I'm just delighted and thankful to the voters," Lane said. "I'm feeling very good. Now it's a matter of getting my sleeves rolled up and getting to work."

He said one of his first tasks when he takes office in January will be to work with his new colleagues to resolve leadership issues and avoid the type of fiasco that occurred at the beginning of this year, when Democrats divided during a vote for vice chair.

There were no concessions made in Caroline, however, with the race between town board candidates Linda Adams and Cynthia Smalt still deemed too close to confidently call.

In a count of around 40 ballots earlier in the day, Democrat incumbent Adams extended her lead over Republican challenger Smalt by six more votes, putting her eight ahead, 540 to 532.

But there are still 12 absentee ballots issued but not returned -- six from military personnel -- so that figure could still change until the Nov. 16 receiving deadline.

Counts will continue today in the towns of Danby, where Democrat Pamela Goddard leads current town clerk Carol Sczepanski by 16 votes, and Newfield, where Democrat Richard Driscoll is leading his fellow Town Board challenger Jeff Hart in the race for supervisor by 15 votes.

The fate of two town board candidates in Enfield will likely be decided on Monday, when 42 absentee ballots could make a difference in the 10 votes that separate Republicans Christopher Hern and Gerhardt Achilles III.

The race between Republican leader Mike Sigler and Democrat Patricia Pryor for legislative District 6, in Lansing, could also be determined then. There are currently 23 votes between them, with 100 absentee ballots returned.