Election Results by Ken Mahoney

NATIONAL, STATE & LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS, By Ken Mahoney

Barack Obama yesterday was chosen to be our nation’s 44th president with the support of Rocklanders who favored him over John McCain 65,143 to 58,199.

Local voters yesterday helped return each of Rockland’s three democratic congressional incumbents back to office for another two-year term. District 17th House Representative Eliot Engel garnered nearly the twice the votes of challenger Robert Goodman, 46,644 to 23,706. The margin of victory was somewhat smaller for 18th District Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who received 13,845 votes to Jim Russell’s 8,185. In the 19th congressional district, John Hall retained his seat against Kieran Lalor 6,886 votes to Lalor’s 4,987.

Voters also returned N.Y. Republican Senator Tom Morahan to Albany for another two-year term. Morahan secured 69,205 votes to Democratic challenger Gregg Julian’s 41,298. Uncontested and contested Assembly representatives maintained their seats in districts 94-97. Republican Nancy Calhoun won the 96th district with 4,027 votes against Richard Randazzo’s 2,192. In the 97th district, Ann Rabbitt held on to her seat against Jerome Sommor’s challenge 3,317 to 2,355.

The only contested town race was for Clarkstown Justice. Democrat Rolf Thorsen was selected to fill the seat vacated in the passing of Justice Joel Flick. Thorsen received 19,541 votes to Republican Daniel Weisberg’s 15,007.

Turning to Rockland village races, Sloatsburg Mayor Carl Wright was reseated for another term against Marino Fontana 974 to 337. Incumbent trustees in both Sloatsburg and Suffern were reelected. In Sloatsburg, John Reimer and Barbara Bernsten were returned to the board and in Suffern, John Meehan and Andrew Haggerty were given another term. Mark Lablanco won an unexpired term on West Haverstraw’s village board 1,729 votes to David Barbera’s 1, 298.