Town of Newburgh Republican, Paul Ruggiero, was declared the winner of a hotly contested council seat by one vote by the Orange County Board of Elections on Tuesday afternoon, beating out Democrat Mary Lou Carolan.
“I'm very happy about it. I'm really just honestly ready to get back to work for the town. You know, it's been six months that this was going on,” Ruggiero said Wednesday morning.
“The Orange County Supreme Court found me the winner almost a month and a half ago,” Ruggiero said referring to Judge Sherri Eisenpress’s March decision.
Democrat Mary Lou Carolan, who was previously declared the winner in October by two votes by the Board of Elections, told WAMC in a text message, “I stood strong and consistent that the certified votes after the recount should stand. I never tried to find votes or negate votes. I do not believe in voter suppression. Your vote is your voice but this ruling silenced many voices. We need more leaders with integrity and I proudly served my Town these past few months.”
On Monday, a state appellate court reversed some of Supreme Court Judge Eisenpress's decisions on which ballots were valid and which were not.
A ballot with an “x” mark for Carolan was deemed invalid. But, a ballot with an “I voted” sticker, one with a tear mark, and one with a marking inside the voting square were all restored.
But it was ultimately up to the Orange County Board of Elections to decide how to implement that decision.
The final vote count was 3224 votes for Republican Ruggiero and 3223 votes for Democrat Carolan.
The vote count from the March decision were 3223 votes for Ruggiero and 3222 votes for Carolan.
