Malverne, Patchogue incumbents win village races
A file photo of Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri. (Jan. 25, 2012) Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin
Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri led his entire Patchogue 2012 slate to victory in one of the most heated of village election battles held Tuesday across Long Island.
Pontieri easily won re-election in unofficial results, defeating challenges from Residents First candidate Elisabeth McGuire, who was backed by his political opponents, and independent candidate Richard Evans.
In the past year, Pontieri has been under steady criticism by opposing trustees, ranging from his use of the village gas pump to fill his personal car, which he uses for village business, to his approval of an interest-free $150,000 loan to downtown residential development Artspace without first getting trustee approval. His support for New Village, a 291-unit apartment development, has also drawn fire from people opposed to the project, and a lawsuit filed by McGuire and local business owners is pending.
Pontieri has pointed out he's brought in millions of dollars in investments to downtown Patchogue during his eight years as mayor.
"I think it's very clear the residents want us to move forward. They understand where we've been, they understand where we've come to, and they understand the next steps are the big and bold ones," Pontieri said Tuesday. "We're moving forward."
McGuire could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Pontieri's running mates -- newcomer Tom Ferb and incumbents Lori Devlin and Deputy Mayor Jack Krieger -- won three open trustee seats, defeating the Residents First slate of eight-year incumbent Stephen McGiff and newcomers Lisa Ihne and Gregory Powers.
Patchogue was one of 11 villages with contested elections.
The politically divided village returned divided results, with one incumbent and one challenger winning two open trustee seats.
Trustees Robert Morrow, of the residents' group that pushed for incorporation of the village, and challenger Gail Cappiello won seats. Morrow's running mate, incumbent Kennth Olivo, and challenger Alan Chasinov of the upstart Unity Party, were defeated.
Malverne
It was an emotional election in Malverne, where sitting trustee Patricia Canzoneri-Callahan defeated challenger Carol A. Hassett.
The village held a special election to fill the unexpired three-year term left vacant by the sudden death last year of Canzoneri-Callahan's husband, Deputy Mayor James Callahan III. She was appointed by Mayor Patricia Norris-McDonald in July to fill the seat until Tuesday's election.
"I'm absolutely thrilled and I am very happy that I will be able to finish my husband's term," Canzoneri-Callahan said Tuesday night. "I received tremendous support from village residents and I'm very thankful."
Current trustee Ralph Ekstrand defeated challenger Georgiana Sena in the race to succeed current Mayor George Starkie, who is stepping down, in a campaign in which the central issue was the development of the downtown district.
The rest of Ekstrand's slate also won the two open trustee seats, with incumbent trustee William Barrett and newcomer Thomas Ryan defeating Susan Miles and Michael Manchin.
"It was a hard fought election on both sides," Ekstrand said. "The people had a choice of whether to go forward with development and revitalization or not, and the residents chose building and revitalization, and for that I am eternally grateful."
Incumbent trustee George L. Ingram retained his seat and challenger Gary R. McCollin won another, both defeating challenger Marian P. Kelly. Ingram also serves as the village's police commissioner.
Saddle Rock
Voters returned incumbents Avery Modlin and Bob Steinberg in a three-way race for two trustee seats. Challenger Sasha Masri was edged out. Mayor Dan Levy and incumbent trustee David Schwartz ran unopposed.
Incumbent trustees Thomas Powell and Peter Hayes won decisively over Anthony Losquadro for two trustee seats.
Challengers Christopher Siciliano and Robert Vella upended incumbent John Ferro by a wide margin in a three-way race for two trustee seats.
Incumbents Marshall Bernstein and Craig Westergard defeated challenger Wayne Marr for two open trustee seats.
Incumbents Emanuel "Manny" Zuckerman and Clara Pomerantz beat out challengers Matthew Weiss and Mitchell Winn for two trustee seats.
Michael Uttaro on the Representative Party line, and William Carr of the Integrity Party, defeated Uttaro's running mate, Diane Thorp, for two open seats. None were incumbents.
With Patrick Whittle, Deborah S. Morris, Nicholas Spangler and Aisha Al-Muslim
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
