Is the City of Schenectady any closer to finding out who will be its next mayor? Officials began counting absentee ballots Wednesday. Solomon Syed has the latest on a busy day at the board of elections.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – A total of 530 absentee ballots, plus about a hundred affidavit ballots came under intense scrutiny in the Schenectady mayor's race, one that could take a least another week to decide.

"We're here’ till the cows come home," said republican elections commissioner Art Brassard. "We're willing to stay as long as everybody can humanly stay, but we don't want to rush the process."

The group only counted about 10 ballots per hour as attorneys for both sides logged numerous objections looking to throw out votes, while the dual elections commissioners struggled to agree on which ones should actually be counted. Meanwhile, the candidates try to stay positive.

"I look forward to the completion of it so they can certify the results and I'm cautiously optimistic that I'm going to prevail," said acting democrat mayor Gary McCarthy.

"He's very confident, he's very proud of what we've been able to achieve," said Brian Young, campaign manager for alliance party candidate Roger Hull, who left town to be with his mother after she underwent surgery in New York City.

Both parties await the outcome, one that may ultimately be decided in court. Hull's attorneys sued, asking that all ballots to be counted by hand.

"That would be roughly 9,000 ballots," said Brassard. "That would certainly take some time."

The board of elections hoped to certify the results by Thanksgiving, but with all the objections and delays, that may be the earliest we know who Schenectady's next mayor will be. The deadline to declare a winner is December 3rd.