Voters across the country hit the polls on Tuesday, November 7th, to cast their ballots in local races around the nation. While voting gets far less attention in years without the presidency or seats in congress up for grabs, several important local offices affecting Rockland residents more than any national officials were elected this cycle. These positions include the Nyack Mayor, Rockland County Legislator, Clarkstown Supervisor, District Attorney, and more.
In the Rockland County Legislature, Democrats took a supermajority for the first time ever, with wins from Beth Davidson, the first Nyacker elected to the legislature in 40 years, partnered with Dana Stilley and Jesse Malowitz in districts formerly represented by Republicans. Stilley is the first black woman elected to the Rockland county legislature ever. The county legislature oversees the $870,000,000 county budget, and has veto powers over the County Executive.
As for the Nyack Mayor’s office, Democrat Joseph Rand was elected to the position, replacing Don Hammond. Rand ran unopposed, and was joined by trustees Nathalie Riobe and Joe Carlin. Joseph Rand was born here in Rockland, and has lived in Nyack for over a decade.
In Clarkstown, Supervisor George Hoehmann was elected to his fifth term as county legislator. Hoehmann is a Republican and defeated his Democratic challenger by about 2,500 votes. For Orangetown, Republican Theresa Kenny ran unopposed and won her reelection as well.
Local elections may seem irrelevant, but are extremely important and have a big impact on our community. Your voice and vote is more impactful in local elections, as there is a smaller number of people voting. Some races went down to the wire, and on Tuesday Mark Woods was elected to the Clarkstown Council, winning by just 276 votes, in an election where almost 6,000 total were cast. If you are over 18 and didn’t vote this year, make sure to turn out for local elections in the future; they matter more than you think!