Trustee defeats incumbent Hempstead Village mayor

Village of Hempstead trustee and mayoral candidate Waylyn Hobbs pulled an upset in Tuesday's election, beating incumbent Mayor Don Ryan.

"It's a new day for the Village of Hempstead! I am humbled by the support of the voters and the position they have entrusted me with," said Hobbs, a Democrat who had two years remaining in his term as trustee. "There is no time to waste, but the future is bright. We will begin immediately by helping small businesses and our friends and neighbors, all while working to ensure that the [COVID-19] vaccine is brought as quickly as possible to our residents."

Hobbs, 58, was first elected in 2013 and has overseen the police and fire departments as trustee. He is expected to discuss priorities for his administration in a news conference Thursday.

Ryan, 78, a Republican who was elected to his first term as mayor four years ago, said Wednesday he was ready to assist Hobbs "in any way possible."

"I have been blessed to serve the community as a trustee since 2001 and mayor for the past four years," Ryan said. "I wish Mayor-elect Waylyn Hobbs and his team every success."

Hobbs was leading among four mayoral candidates for mayor when vote counting stopped at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, village officials said. Tallying restarted at 1 p.m. at Hempstead Public Library, where bipartisan counters were brought in. The votes were later certified at a special board meeting.

The official vote counts are: Hobbs, 2,012; Ryan, 1,325; Herberth Flores, 644; and Lamont E. Johnson, 169.

Kevin Boone with 2,008 votes and Clariona Griffith with 1,911 votes were elected to trustee seats.