Incumbents lead in Valley Stream election

Unofficial returns in Tuesday's elections in Valley Stream show the incumbent mayor and two incumbent trustees in the lead, but the final tally was delayed by a lawsuit brought by their opponents over absentee ballot applications.

The unofficial machine count shows Mayor Edwin A. Fare with 1,553 votes, while challenger Anthony Bonelli has 1,190, according to village spokeswoman Barbara DeGrace. Trustees Vincent Grasso and Dermond Thomas also lead their opponents, DeGrace said.

The challengers, who ran on the Achieve party line, filed a lawsuit Tuesday over absentee ballot applications, but they are in the process of withdrawing the suit after having seen the unofficial machine vote counts, according to David Sparrow, the Achieve party candidate for village justice who also represented the party in the suit. 

Sparrow said the suit was based on "our team's perceptions of irregularities" with absentee ballot applications.

Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Randy Sue Marber ordered the absentee ballots sealed temporarily and called the parties back to court on Friday, he said.

But with unofficial machine results showing the incumbents in the lead, "the issue of the absentee ballots no longer appears relevant," Sparrow said.

"It has been decided to withdraw the lawsuit and to graciously concede the election," he said, and to wish the incumbents "good luck in their administration and in getting Valley Stream back on financial safe-footing," he said.

Sparrow said once the lawsuit is officially withdrawn and the 466 absentee ballots counted, "the election results will be certified with no undue delay."

According to the village, the unofficial machine vote totals for mayor and trustee are:

Mayor:

- Edwin A. Fare - 1,553

- Anthony Bonelli - 1,190

Two trustee seats:

- Dermond Thomas - 1,592

- Vincent Grasso - 1,584

- Jed Kaplowitz - 1,134

- Cristobal Stewart - 1,119