State Rep. John Martinez moved one step closer to re-election Tuesday, defeating New Haven Alderman Raul Avila in a contest that at times pitted one New Haven neighborhood against another.

The race for Connecticut’s 95th House District unfolded during an otherwise uneventful Democratic primary season. Following the 2000 census, the district — which previously included Wooster Square and the Hill neighborhood — was redrawn to include most of Fair Haven, handing Martinez several blocks of unfamiliar territory.

Martinez, who is serving his fourth two-year term, defeated Avila by a 2-to-1 ratio, winning over 65 percent of the vote. During the summerlong race, Avila’s brash, often confrontational campaign tactics clashed with Martinez’s more sedate political style.

In Hartford, Martinez, 48, sits on the Judiciary and Finance, Bonding and Revenue committees; Avila, 35, is a New Haven political veteran.

Members of the Board of Aldermen have requested an internal ethics investigation into several of Avila’s votes on the sales of city property. Some allege that Avila stalled some of the sales out of self-interest because they were not destined for the Fair Haven Development Corporation, of which he is a board member.

–James Collins