A rollercoaster of an election night, followed by a suspenseful Wednesday morning, ended up with the closely watched race for Ulster County District Attorney in a virtual dead heat, even as Democrats secured decisive victories in two more countywide races and appeared poised to maintain their one-vote majority in the County Legislature.
County Executive Pat Ryan of Gardiner coasted to his first full four-year term Tuesday night, with the Democrat easily winning a rematch election with Ulster County Conservative Party Chairman Jack Hayes, also of Gardiner, who was running on the Republican line as well.
The referendum question, “Shall the annual contribution of the Town of Gardiner for the operating budget of the Gardiner Library be increased by $46,846 to the sum of $276,076.00 annually?” was overwhelmingly approved by the voters by 1,233 to 523 votes, a 70.22 percent to 29.78 percent split.
This year there were no intra-party contests in local New Paltz elections, and no contest higher than the county level to draw voters in. With Democrats holding a sizable majority, there weren’t even Republican challengers for the two town council seats, making the election effortless for incumbent Julie Seyfert-Lillis and newcomer Alexandria Baer. The same was true for county legislator Jim Delaune, who sailed to a sleepy victory, as did town clerk Rosanna Mazzaccari-Rosenkranse. In contested races, the Democrats beat their opponents handily: town justice James Bacon will be returned to the bench for another term, and Eve Walter will succeed Hector Rodriguez in the county legislature, rather than Donna Smith.
The ballot question, “Should the terms for office for the Town of Rosendale supervisor and the Town of Rosendale superintendent of highways be increased from two years to four years, effective for terms commencing January 1, 2020?” was approved by a vote of 1,007 to 742: a comfortable 57.58 to 42.42 percent margin. The town races were uncontested.
Having a “meadow” rather than a lawn would decrease resources needed for upkeep and help out pollinators, but some are concerned the result would be more ticks.
Info on local town races and ballot initiatives.
District 10 (Lloyd, Marlborough) It’s poised to be another close election between Mary Beth Maio, the Republican incumbent, and Democratic
Six months after coasting to victory by a three-to-one margin, County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat, faces an electoral rematch with Ulster County Conservative Party Chairman John J. “Jack” Hayes.
Heroin bags with two specific stamps are causing a rash of overdoses in Ulster and Greene counties.