“I didn’t expect to be here,” Will Maupin, city councilman and mayoral candidate said Tuesday night after learning he was 41 votes behind his opponent, Patty Lent. “But it is what it is.”

Updated results released on the Kitsap County Auditor’s Web site show Wednesday night show Lent leading by a close margin of 48.9 percent of the vote (2,433) to Maupin’s 48.11 percent (2,392).

There were also 147 votes for the write-in candidate, Deborah Moore-Jackson.

“Those were my votes,” Maupin said.

He then gave a speech to the crowd of about 50 people gathered at the Boat Shed and thanked everyone who helped him with his campaign for mayor.

With an estimated 21,000 ballots left to count, the atmosphere was quite optimistic.

“Yesterday, 900 people mailed in their ballots,” Daryl Daugs, former candidate for mayor and current Maupin supporter, said. “We talked to each and every one of them. We’ve got this sewn up.”

On the other side of town Patty Lent’s own election party was in full swing at Brother Don’s restaurant on Kitsap Way.

“I am very anxious,” Lent said Wednesday while waiting for the election results to be updated. “And I thought yesterday was a long day.”

If the election ends with a half-percent difference between the two, a recount will be in order, but Lent said she is hoping it won’t come down to that.

“We are hoping to maintain the lead and even build on it,” Lent said. “If we can do that, we’ll avoid a recount.”

Lent said her campaign focused on face to face contact and if elected, she wants to carry that into her job as mayor.

“As the mayor I will be approachable,” Lent said. “I want the people to know I am their mayor.”

After the election is certified Nov. 24, Bremerton’s new mayor will be sworn into office.

In other contested races in the Bremerton area:

Bremerton City Council

While the race for council position No. 1 has incumbent Brad Gehring trailing his opponent, Jim McDonald, by 32 votes, council position No. 7 incumbent Carol Arends is 25 votes ahead of bar owner Gentry C. Lange.

Municipal Court Judge

Incumbent judge James Docter has a lead of more than 1,000 votes over his opponent, Ed Wolfe.

Bremerton School District

In the race for director position No. 1, Scott Rahm has an almost 1,000 vote lead on Christianne Martin and for position No. 4 incumbent Cynthia Triplett Galloway has a mere 16 vote jump on her opponent David Boynton.

Newly appointed director for position No. 5, Carolynn Perkins, has nearly a 1,600-vote lead on Ruben R. Garcia Jr.

North Perry Water Commissioner, Position 1

Incumbent Gary O. Purbaugh leads with 58 percent of the vote compared to opponent Jae Relling who stands at 40 percent.