44°
MAMARONECK, N.Y. Election Day has come and gone, and while the incumbents of the village board of trustees appear to have won their reelections, the town board will see some changes. The outcome has some voters like Andy Marcus interested to see how the different dynamics will impact the board.
Current council member Nancy Seligson (D) was uncontested in her race for town supervisor, currently filled by Republican Valerie O'Keeffe. Seligson received 2,882 votes, according to unofficial board of election results. Her colleague and fellow Democrat on the board, Phyllis Wittner, appears to be re-elected with 37 percent of the vote, based on unofficial results. She will be joined by newcomer Abby Katz (D), who received 39 percent of the vote, unofficial tallies show.
The all-Democrat Board concerns some who would like to see the diverse views of the public represented on the board. However, others don't expect a big change. Marcus, a registered Democrat, said he believes it could be positive for the town, "depending on what kind of job they do."
"I think in a small town like this, it doesn't matter what matters is the people," said Fred Longacre, a Mamaroneck resident.
Katz, a 14-year town resident and treasurer of the Murray Avenue School PTA, said she wants to be the voice for all residents, regardless of party affiliation. "I think we have different viewpoints," she said. "I think the board has always gotten along well when we had a Republican Supervisor, and I think it'll be the same. I don't think you need somebody from a different political party to have a different viewpoint."
Katz said she was happy to win her first election, as were her daughter. "She was glad I won because she knew they were all going to be asking at school today how I did," Katz said.
When she joins the board, Katz said she will bring some ideas with her. "I want to focus on communication with the community," she said. "I just want to make people aware of what's on the website and increase the information about the town board's activities and put more of that on the website." She will attend meetings to get up to speed in the coming weeks.
Right now, Katz said, the big issue is dealing with the budget and coming in under the 2 percent tax cap. Looking forward, "the long-term issue is flood mitigation and seeing if there are any services that can be shared across municipalities and if there's any savings to be had."
For more information on Tuesday's election, visit our election page here.
Don't forget to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Mamaroneck and receive free news updates.
