A Waiting Game in the District 3 Legislator Race

MOUNT PLEASANT, N.Y. – The race for District 3 County Legislator is a heated deadlock that has yet to be determined and both candidates believe it will take time before a winner is ultimately named.

Incumbent John Nonna said Wednesday that a winner may not be clear until next week.

“I don’t even think they’re going to do the absentee ballots until next week,” Nonna said.  “And it’s over 250 ballots.”

As of Wednesday, Nonna, who ran on the Democrat, Working Families and Independence lines, led challenger Michael Smith, who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines, by 60-votes. So far, 87 percent of the districts have reported.  The Westchester Board of elections announced Wednesday that all voting machines and paper ballots have been impounded, which likely will prolong the process of determining a winner.

Smith said in a phone interview Wednesday that the County Board of Elections did not give him a specific timeline of when the race will be sorted out.

“They haven’t given us any info so far,” Smith said.  “I think it’s going to go on for quite a while before all of this is settled.”

With the race as close as it is, residents in Mount Pleasant are sticking by their chosen candidate.

“It’s been interesting because there are a lot of Democrats in this area,” said Mount Pleasant resident Marlene Deats Vellutino.  “I think ultimately Nonna will come out on top,”

Vellutino said she voted for Nonna and believed this race would be as close as it is.  She said Smith was able to challenge Nonna so closely because of a campaign run by Republican County Executive Rob Astorino in order to make a push for a Republican super-majority.

“There’s definitely been a strong conservative movement as of late,” Vellutino said.

Sal DiFabio of Valhalla, said he voted Republican across the board in hopes of giving the Republicans the supermajority.

“I voted straight Republicans and if there needs to be some sort of revote after this is all sorted out, I’ll vote Republican again,” DiFabio said.

Although the process to find a winner may be long, Nonna said it is important that every proper procedure is taken.

“It’s really close and when it’s this close you need to be careful and count the votes carefully and make sure they are calculated correctly,” Nonna said. 

 

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