Torrance Harvey won re-election Tuesday as mayor of the City of Newburgh, capturing more than 60 percent of the vote in a three-way race for mayor.
Unofficial results showed Harvey with a huge lead, with 1,163 votes, over challenger John Giudice (353) and newcomer Hael V. Stewart-Fisher (368).
Harvey, an actor, published poet and history teacher at Newburgh Free Academy North Campus, was elected to the city council in 2016. He won a special election for mayor in 2018 to fill the unexpired term of the late Mayor Judy Kennedy, and was then elected to a full four-year term in 2019.
In the race for two at-large seats on the city council, Democrats were easy winners, with newcomer Robert D. McLymore (1,218 votes) and incumbent Omari Shakur (915) leading the field over Christine M. Bello (616), Donald E. Rehrey Jr.(401) and Anusha B. Mehar (333).
Bedetti tops New Windsor race
Councilman Stephen A. Bedetti garnered nearly 70 percent of the vote, last Tuesday, in the race to succeed retiring George Meyers as town supervisor. He defeated former Assemblyman Colin J. Schmitt, a onetime chief of staff for former New Windsor Town Supervisor George Green. Bedetti, running on the Republican and New Windsor Strong lines, collected 2,390 votes. Schmitt, the Conservative-backed candidate collected 1,092 votes.
The landslide was a contrast to the Republican primary in which Bedetti, a retired Town of New Windsor police dispatcher, narrowly edged Schmitt for the nomination.
In the race for New Windsor Town Council, incumbent Democrat Sylvia Santiago (1,941) and Republican-Conservative Charles H. Broe (2,258) captured the two seats on the board. Conservative Gregory Biasotti (967) finished third in the voting.
In a closely contested race for town clerk, Republican-NW Strong challenger Patricia A. Clarino (1,971) led incumbent Kelly Allegra (1924) in the unofficial tally.
“I would like to thank each and every New Windsor voter. I am humbled at the support I have received,” Bedetti wrote on his Facebook page. “It is truly an honor to be the next supervisor of the town I have lived in and served my whole life. I will work night and day for each and every resident of our town.”
Town of Newburgh candidates unopposed
Town of Newburgh Republican-Conservative candidates all ran unopposed in last week’s general election. Re-elected were Supervisor Gil Piaquadio, Councilmembers Scott Manley and Anthony LoBiondo, Town Clerk Lisa M. Vance Ayers and Town Justice Richard Clarino.
Other races
In the race for State Supreme Court Justice for the 9th Judicial District, winners were Democrats Francesca E. Connolly, Charley Wood, Larry J. Schwartz and Rolf M. Thorsen.
Richard Guertin and James Hendry were unopposed for the respective offices of County Court Judge and Family Court Judge.
Ballot Proposition 1, the removal of small city school districts from special constitutional debt limitations was passed by receiving 56 percent of the vote. A total of 287,520 ballots were left blank.
Ballot proposition 2, which extends for 10 years the authority of counties, cities, towns and villages to remove their consitiutional debt limit for the construction of sewage facilities was passed with 59.75 percent of the vote. A total of 298,198 - roughtly 12 percent - of the ballots were left blank.