In fewer than two weeks, Hyattsville will be under new command with Mayor-elect Marc Tartaro at the helm.

Tartaro, a longtime Hyattsville resident and current City Council president, beat contenders Chris Brophy and LaVonne Leslie for the seat of outgoing Mayor William Gardiner.

"I have to get up and go to work tomorrow and then I have to start doing the city's business," he said after his win. "I'm looking forward to it."

in Patch's video interview with him.

The architect and soccer coach took 572 votes citywide, 417 more than Leslie (155 votes) and 437 more than Brophy (135 votes).

A special election will be held to fill Tartaro’s Ward 1 seat. His term has two more years remaining.

Leslie, who did not appear at City Hall for the reading of election results, said she thought there were extenuating circumstances that led to her loss.

"I believe I didn't get a fair assessment in the Gazette, and also my signs that I had put up were taken down,” she said. “Not the ones that they said were in improper places, but signs that I had gotten approval for were taken down."

The Gazette article was editorial material.

"Reception [from voters] today was OK,” Leslie said. “I couldn't really pick up on it because I came out early, and the voting was light.

"We've been campaigning hard, and I think we've given it our best,” she said. “Overall, I think it's been very educational for me because I hadn't campaigned in a few years. So it was kind of nice being up [at City Hall] meeting people and campaigning."

Brophy, who has publicly stated that he did not intend to win the election and who did not campaign beyond a public debate and an online questionnaire, did not want the mayoral seat.

"If I win, I'm going to demand a recount,” he said before the results came in.

Tartaro and his colleagues on the council now face the task of finalizing and approving the city’s FY 2012 budget.