Last night was a good night for incumbents and, for the most part, the Democratic and Republican parties’ endorsed candidates.Take City Council as an example. All three incumbents who sought another term won it fairly easily: Mike Patterson in the Northeast District, defeating Eugenio Cotto with 76.13 percent of the votes ; Adam McFadden in the South District (67.8 percent), defeating Ann Lewis; and Elaine Spaull (70.37 percent), defeating Lisa Jacques in the East District.
McFadden will face Lewis again in the November election, since she’s running on an independent line, and Green Party candidate Alex White. Spaull faces Green Party candidate Anthony Giordano in the general election and Clifford faces Green Party candidate Dorothy Paige.
In the Northwest District, longtime Democratic activist and former city official Molly Clifford had a tenser night, with challenger LaShana Boose in the lead as many of the polling sites reported. But with all of the returns in, the Board of Election’s unofficial results show Clifford winning, with 51.25 percent of the votes and Boose 48.32. (This race was for an open seat; incumbent Carla Palumbo didn’t seek re-election.)
In Henrietta, incumbent Town Supervisor Jack Moore received 85 percent of the ballots and clobbered his challenger, William Wu. The town’s Republican voters apparently weren’t turned off by the controversy around Moore, who earlier this year was recorded making racially insensitive remarks during a conversation with town employees.
Moore will face Democratic candidate Mike Yudelson and independent candidate Glenda Rudolph in the November election. Moore and Yudelson squared off in 2013, when Yudelson was supervisor.
In the four Democratic primaries for the County Legislature, the party’s four endorsed candidates prevailed, though a couple of the races were close. None of the four victors face a challenger in the general election.
Mark Muoio beat Bobbi Mitchell in the 21st Legislative District contest, receiving 60 percent of the votes. The seat is currently held by Democratic caucus leader Carrie Andrews, who couldn’t run for reelection due to term limits.
In the 23rd Legislative District, former Rochester police chief James Sheppard soundly defeated Mitch Rowe, the city’s building and parks director. Sheppard pulled in approximately 77 percent of the votes to Rowe’s 22 percent. Some Democrats viewed the race as a contest between two factions of the party: those aligned with Mayor Lovely Warren (backing Rowe) and those tied to the Bob Duffy and Tom Richards administrations (backing Sheppard).
Incumbent Cynthia Kaleh held off challenger Ricky Frazier in the 28th District race, but not by much. She pulled in 52 percent of the votes, while Frazier received more than 47 percent. It’s worth noting that these figures, just as the results in all of the races, are preliminary and include only totals from the polling places. Absentee ballots aren’t reflected in the numbers.
The 29th District race was a rematch between sitting legislator Ernest Flagler and challenger Leslie Rivera (last November, Flagler unseated Rivera, who was appointed to the seat earlier in 2014 to fill a vacancy). Flagler won again, with 69 percent of the vote to Rivera’s 31 percent, approximately.
The sole Republican County Legislature primary was over the 6th District seat, which represents part of Greece. Incumbent Fred Ancello received 70.7 percent of the votes and challenger Fred Gartz received 28.8 percent. Ancello faces Democrat Dick Beebe in the November general election.
There were no major surprises in the city school board race, where four seats were on the ballot. Incumbents Malik Evans, Mary Adams, and Willa Powell all kept their seats. Newcomer Liz Hallmark won the only open seat, and in January she’ll replace Melisza Campos, who decided not to run for another term.
In the unofficial returns (which don’t include absentee ballots), Evans was the top vote-getter, as expected, garnering roughly 20 percent of the votes. He was followed by Adams, who picked up about 16 percent of the votes. Powell and Hallmark each got about 14 percent of the votes.
The other totals: Lorenzo Williams, 10.4 percent of the total; Howard Eagle, 9.86; Mia Hodgins, 8.1; and Matt McDermott, 7.47. McDermott will still be on the November ballot, since he has the Working Families line.Â
This article appears in Sep 9-15, 2015.
The absentee ballots and a recount could erode or reverse Clifford and Kaleh’s victories in the northwest. Clifford only won by 42 votes, Kaleh by 27.
Forget the absentees for a minute…it appears that the ballots challenged at the polls by the supporters of Clifford have been allowed and the margin is down to 18 votes.(Rachel Barnhard tweet)
It is troubling that a former democrat chair would try to suppress votes of voters and I hope City tries to identify who they were and why they were trying to suppress them…I am hearing, and fear this may be accurate, that they were almost exclusively black voters! If that is true, it fits a pattern of Molly’s behavior. First “Turn out for Tom” to try to kill the black party designee from winning…now this sleazy attempt to stop blacks for voting.
Please City, investigate this immediately!
I’ve not been able to confirm your assertions, Remington. The Board of Elections is adamant that 66 votes separate Clifford and Boose. There are still some outstanding ballots, but not enough to change the outcome of the election.
The BOE has no knowledge of any alleged voter-suppression tactics by either candidate.
Thank you for looking into this. It seems there are conflicting accounts. City was the right entity to check.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/…
The September 10, 2015 Democratic Party Primary Election:
An open letter of thanks to my supporters (the overwhelming
majority of whom I am certain are black, and relatively few whites)
I sincerely thank the 2,000+ of you, who believe in the leadership that I attempt to provide, and therefore have continued to support me at the polls. I am humbled and appreciative. I am also appreciative regarding those who could not support me at the polls (due to residency), but supported me financially and/or via sweat-equity. A few supported me in several ways, i.e., financially, on the ground (in the field), and at the voting booth. I thank you all (from the bottom of my heart).
I am quoted in the article at the link below, as having said “the voters have spoken and they opted for the deeply entrenched status-quo.” That is, the majority of the minuscule percentage (a little more than 10%) of eligible voters who even bothered to come to the polls — did indeed opt to continue supporting the deep-seated, thoroughly entrenched, status-quo, i.e., Rochester Teachers Association’s slate for school board.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/…
I was also quoted as having said, “I don’t understand it.” I would like to retract the latter statement. In fact, I do understand it (clearly). The fact of the matter is (as in the past), the majority of the minuscule percentage of participants do NOT want change. Why would they? They like things just as they are. They benefit greatly from current conditions, and are therefore content, and continue to reject anything and anyone who would upset or disturb their privilege and tranquility.
On the other hand, as evidenced by their absence at the polls (for decades), the overwhelming majority of the black electorate (black people who are actually eligible to vote) also do NOT want change. Either that, or they are too apathetic, too complacent, or perhaps too demoralized to participate, or perhaps they felt (for decades) that there were no viable choices. Either way, if they DO want change, it will NOT occur via non-participation, and that’s for certain. Thus, the white, middle class, “majority” (really — the clear minority relative to the city and school district populations), and their double-agent-lackeys — will continue to dominate and rule. As a direct result, large numbers of our children will continue to suffer and die (mentally and physically).
One reporter who called me after the election results were in, asked what do I expect (“moving forward”) from the people who were elected. I told him honestly, “nothing, other than more of the same.” Why would I expect people who have been elected twice, or three, or four times — to have a desire, or even know how to do anything — other than what they have been doing? For me to think they would, or can, do anything significantly different than what they have been doing, would be like (to quote a statement from Malcolm X, 50 years ago) — “expecting a chicken to lay a duck-egg.” It’s simply not going to happen — period.
With regard to our conversation, when the reporter asked me if I wanted to add anything else — I jumped at the opportunity to explain to him the fact that, not only as it relates to the Rochester City School District, but with regard to overwhelmingly, predominantly black, and brown, urban schools, and districts across this thoroughly racist, white-supremacist-based, nation-state (in every direction — North, East, South, and West) — one of the most critical and pivotal issues, which MUST be dealt with is old, old, entrenched, systematic, individual and institutionalized racism, which are thoroughly bound up together, completely intertwined, and totally inseparable from one another. I also told him there is no evidence that I am aware of — to indicate the possibility of individuals who were elected, or re-elected two, three, or four times — being willing to face up to (much less actually do something, even if they knew what to do) about the dual-headed beast and illness of individual and institutionalized racism within the Rochester City School District, and beyond.
I continue to stand on, and believe in the Platform that I ran on, and I maintain, not much will change until and unless we build a deadly-serious, ongoing, movement of parents, grandparents, guardians, students, extraordinarily committed educators, politicians, including and especially Board members, and anyone else who is really serious about widespread, fundamental change and improvement — working cooperatively, collaboratively and constantly around agreed upon, concrete, well defined, measurable goals, strategies, and tactics, which is in essence what a movement is.
The Struggle Continues…
Howard
https://www.facebook.com/howard.j.eagle/po…
Howard wants to “build a movement of parents, grandparents, guardians, students, extraordinarily committed educators, politicians, including and especially Board members.” He left out the most important group: TAXPAYERS. Interesting to note that in the news today it was revealed that New York spend an average of $21,812 per student per year! On top of that, Hillary Clinton wants to make college education ‘free’. Free for students, but not free for the over-burdened taxpayers.
Howard Eagle, right to the racism card. I’m shocked as always.
“An open letter of thanks to my supporters (the overwhelming
majority of whom I am certain are black, and relatively few whites)”
The Howard eagle writing is sure to motivate all those that actually give a dam about urban education. It will give them encouragement to get involved, to work diligently to provide a relevant education, to provide the opportunity to gain a profession/career, to address the absenteeism crisis, to address the graduation crisis and actually pave the way for higher education whether that be academics or a certificate program in the trades. By now I hope that you have actually figured out that it is in fact,…. the opposite. That constant bashing turns people off, big time. It does however, give the “bashers” fuel to keep the fight going, without any chance for progress with the urban education CRISIS.
You know Howard, there are those of us who do care, those of us who have spent years trying to get the attention of those responsible for educating our urban youth. I have been on a crusade to introduce an educational enhancement that will actually provide a relevant education. An education that will absolutely provide choices and a clear path to a profession/career. I have written, e mailed and hand delivered that plan. (bound booklet) I don’t even get a response. So, don’t tell me no one cares, don’t play that race card with me. I have tried and I have been ignored.
There was an Attorney General by the name of Eric Holder who called the white population cowards for not discussing the race issue. I wrote him a letter, actually over 10 of them,……no response. You want to discuss education, you want to discuss the race issue,….and I’ll tell you the very same thing I told Eric Holder,,..anytime.
So, maybe in the future you can actually make some concrete suggestions for addressing the education challenge, which is the very thing that fuels the poverty, crime, teenage pregnancy an all the other associated scourges. It starts, for good and bad, with attending or not attending school. Do we need to provide some enhancements to make education more relevant and interesting for our youth, you bet. There is a way to do that, it can be done. Bashing, attacking, accusing will however, accomplish nothing with the exception of dividing us further. Maybe you could change your “tune” a bit and meet somewhere in the middle. But then again, how could you even think about meeting in the middle when you are 100% correct and they,…..just dead wrong.
Um, Bart? Most of those folks you mention pay tax.