By Dan Murphy
The 2021 elections in Westchester County are being decribed as a mixed bag, or a split decision, with something for democrats and republicans to be happy about. The big race in Westchester was for County Executive, and the incumbent and heavy favorite, democrat George Latimer, easily won re-election by defeating republican Christine Sculti by a 62%-38% margin.
Latimer met the expectation, by winning by more than 20 points, but Sculti, to her credit, did not get “blown out,” and kept the damage to a minimun for republicans in other communities.
“We have established a solid record in office and the voters knew it. It is an honor to once again have the trust of Westchester residents placed in me,” said Latimer, pictured above on election night. County Clerk Tim Idoni also easily won re-election over his republican opponent Scooter Scott by the same 62%-38% margin.
But democrats down the ballot did not fare as well. Three republcan Westchester Towns all elected and re-elected republicans. In Eastchester, Supervisor Tony Colavita easily won re-election to a 10th term, defeating democrat John Eickemeyer, 62%-38%, and two republican councilmembers, Luigi Maroccia and Theresa Nicholson, were also re-elected.
In Harrison, republican councilman Richard Dionisio handily beat democrat Frank Gordon for Supervisor by a 62%-38% margine. Two republicans council candidates, Elizabeth Brown and Linda Evangelista, were also victorious, leaving one democrat on the Town Board.
And in Yorktown, Supervisor Matt Slater was re-elected, running unopposed, and the two republican candidates for Town Board, Sergio Esposito and Luciana Haughwout, riding Slater’s coattails. Republicans now have a supermajority, or total control of the Town governments in Harrison, Eastchester and Yorktown.
In the 17 races for Westchester County BOL, republican James Nolan was the big winner in the most closely watched BOL race in the 15th District, by defeating democrat Ruth Walter, 53%-47%. Nolan will join republican-conservative Legislator Margaret Cunzio, who won re-election by defeating democrat David Vinjamuri , 58%-42%, giving republicans two seats on the BOL, and democrats with a 15-2 supermajority.
Two other close calls in other county board races almost gave republicans two more victories. In the First District, democrat Colin Smith narrowly held onto his seat by defeatinbg republican Joe Torres, 51%-49%, and in the 10th District, democrat Damon Maher also squeked out his re-election by defeating republican Anthony Giacobbe, 51%-49%. One sound view democrat said that Latimer and Idoni, who remains very popular in his home city of New Rochelle, helped pull Maher to victory.
One political observer credited Colavita with the strong showing by both Nolan and Giacobbe, because both districts include part of the Town of Eastchester. “Colavita brought out the vote again, to his credit, he remains very popular.”
Turnout in this election was very low, both in early voting and on Nov. 2, which appears to have helped republicans.
One moderate Westchester democrat said that “the problems with the democratic party in Washington did not help us here in Westchester.
Another westchester party leader said that “clearly the republican party is not dead in Westchester, and the democratic party neeeds some better messaging, starting in Washington DC. We also might think about moving to the center a bit.”
