R. Bruce Allen wasn’t ready to declare victory Tuesday night in the race for Position 4 on the Langley City Council, despite a 5-point advantage in early vote returns.

“I’m pleased with what I’m reading,” he said.

“I’m certainly not going to go anywhere with that yet,” Allen added.

Allen, a former command sergeant major in the Army who currently tends bar at Mo’s Pub in Langley, is taking his first shot at elected office. He had 52.5 percent of the vote on Election Night, compared to Gill’s 47.4 percent.

So far, 348 votes have been tallied in the race, and Allen has an 18-vote lead.

“I certainly haven’t got it locked up yet,” Allen said.

“This election is not going to be over for a couple, three days,” he said. “A lot of things can happen.”

Island County elections workers estimate they will have another 1,400 ballots from across the county to count in the coming days for this year’s General Election.

Gill, a technical support specialist at Whidbey Telecom, has tried three times to nab a council seat, dating back to 2009. He lost in a prior race against Russell Sparkman, and was passed over twice by the council for an appointed position.

Allen heaped praise on his opponent, and trumpeted Gill’s longstanding volunteer work at city hall and his service to his community.

“Accolades to him,” Allen said.

Gill said he was thankful for a good race.

“The results are close, and while I hope they will change, I would like to congratulate Bruce on a close campaign,” Gill said.

“I know regardless of who wins Position 4, Langley is in good hands and I will continue my volunteer efforts,” he said.