Officials Thrilled With Voter Turnout in Uncontested Pound Ridge Race

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. – Despite the fact that the slate of local candidates was entirely uncontested, more than 30 percent of Pound Ridge voters went to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots.

“We are so pleased with the Pound Ridge voter turnout,” said Roslyn Stone-Pollock, chairman of the Pound Ridge Democratic Committee. “That’s extraordinary in an off-year local election.”

Though it could be several weeks before the county Board of Elections declares the results of local elections official, the final unofficial tally for Pound Ridge as of Friday afternoon show incumbent Supervisor Gary Warshauer (R, I) receiving 720 votes. For the town board, incumbent Councilman Richard Lyman (R,I) tallied 608 votes, while newcomer Ali Boak (D) garnered 601.

Town Clerk Joanne Pace (R, I), who earned her third straight term, received 746 votes, while incumbent Town Justice Regina Kelly (D) tallied 713.

Stone-Pollock said she was proud of Boak and Kelly. “Their running unopposed is a victory for all the Pound Ridge Dems who ran and the so many who lost before them,” she said. “They paved the way and they showed us a path to rebuild Pound Ridge Democrats, to organize our base, to get involved in town committees and activities, and to run a campaign like a congressional campaign.”

Warshauer said that while the turnout wasn't as good as in past elections that were contested on the local level, he felt that voters may have been drawn to the polls for the races outside of Pound Ridge.

"There were some judges' position and there was the county legislator race," he said. "People certainly still had some choices."

He also said that voters may have wanted to show support for the job the town board has been doing.

"I would like to look at it as a vote of confidence," he said. "But I also want to say that voting is a duty and privilege and that's something I strongly believe in."

Pound Ridge resident Arlene Kaufman agreed, and it is voters like her that could have made the turnout greater than some expected.

"I always vote no matter what,” said Kaufman, outside the polling place at the firehouse on Tuesday. “I’ve been voting for 30 years. It’s just a good habit to get into.”

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