Former TV reporter and public relations guru Stefan Mychajliw was elected Erie County Comptroller Tuesday.
The Republican appears to have defeated Democrat David Shenk 52% to 48%. Shenk, the former Town of Boston Clerk, was appointed to fill the post of former Comptroller Mark Poloncarz, who was elected county executive in 2011.
With nearly all precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, Mychajliw led Shenk by more than 11,000 votes.
Shenk, speaking to WBFO's Mark Scott as part of our Election Night coverage, said he was not conceding due to the high number of absentee and military ballots left to count. Shenk has served in the U.S. Army Reserve for more than two decades.
Mychajliw worked at WGRZ TV for several years as an investigative journalist. Since then, he has served as spokesman for 2011 Erie County Executive candidate Chris Collins and the Buffalo Public Schools.