North Bellmore to hold runoff vote to settle rare tie in school election

Newbridge Road Elementary School, 1601 Newbridge Rd. in North Bellmore, has 430 students enrolled from kindergarten through sixth grade, according to the North Bellmore Public Schools website. (April 2, 2012) Credit: Nicole Bartoline
The North Bellmore school district will hold a runoff vote at the Newbridge Road School Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. after two candidates tied in the May election.
Incumbent JoAnn DeLauter, the school board president, and challenger Frank LaMagra, a retired NYPD narcotics detective investigator, each got 799 votes in the voting on May 21.
“I think the school district has done a good job of informing people,” DeLauter said. “Hopefully the community will come out and vote.”
LaMagra could not be reached for comment Friday.
Both candidates have said they plan to campaign again.
The board of education race in another district, Oysterponds, where candidates had also tied, was settled last week. That runoff election was canceled when Betsy Dzenkowski withdrew her candidacy with the vacant board seat going to Dorothy-Dean Thomas.
Both Thomas and Dzenkowski had received 157 votes. Thomas is the current board president and has served on the board for three years.
Officials with the New York State School Boards Association said tie votes in board races are rare. Under state education law, runoff elections must be held within 45 days of the initial election.
Last year, two candidates in Long Beach tied.
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