Nedd Sparks hugs his sister Patti Littlefield after winning election to the Franklin County District 6 seat on Tuesday night. He was racing against longtime legislator Paul Maroun for the seat. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

TUPPER LAKE — Nedd Sparks decisively beat longtime incumbent Paul Maroun for his District 6 seat on the Franklin County legislature on Tuesday night, according to unofficial vote totals.

Vote tallies — read aloud from long strips of paper printed from voting machines at the Holy Ghost Parish polling site, as well as early voting and absentee ballot votes uploaded to the Franklin County Board of Elections website — totaled 1,558 votes for Sparks, who ran on the Republican and independent “Integrity” lines, and 795 for Maroun, who ran on the Conservative line — a difference of 763 votes, with Sparks taking 66% of the vote.

But the election cannot be verified until all absentee ballots are counted, too. Election night was the deadline for turning in or mailing ballots, and they must arrive before Nov. 15 to be counted. Only then can the results be certified.

Altogether, between Election Day votes, early votes and absentee ballots received and scanned by Election Day, 2,360 total votes were reported Tuesday night.

Sparks is a political newcomer, who decided to run because he said he was tired of seeing the county social services offices at Ivy Terrace, a public housing complex run by the Tupper Lake Housing Authority where he is the head of maintenance, sit empty.

Sparks said he was “very humbled by the outpouring of support.”

“Stunned. I’m just shocked by the turnout,” he said. “I’m very happy.”

He said he had been anxious earlier in the day. It had been a “long road” since March when he began campaigning to eventually win the Republican nomination in a June primary.

Sparks ran on a platform of bringing county offices that have long been closed back to Tupper Lake. He said the southern end of the county has been “forgotten” by the legislature. Sparks said on Tuesday that his first priority on the legislature would be to reopen the probation and social services offices in Tupper Lake.

Maroun first got into office in the county legislature in 1978. He had been on the board on and off for decades, collecting around 15 terms and over three decades of time on the board in the past 44 years. Maroun is also the Tupper Lake village mayor.

Maroun said he had hoped to work on getting the Big Tupper Ski Area back up and running, among numerous other projects. He was running on a platform of decades of experience in the role.

“I think the people spoke. That’s the way that people wanted it. I’m all for free elections and I think it’s great,” Maroun said. “I wish Nedd well. I hope he can carry on to continue to work for the best interests of the people.”

District 6 includes the towns of Tupper Lake, Santa Clara and Brighton.