Flowers, who first beat incumbent Mayor Marc Nelson in June’s Democratic Primary, will become the city’s third mayor in two years.
Flowers received Nelson’s endorsement and the backing of other city lawmakers, many of whom attended the Democrat’s watch party at Refinery 51. In her victory speech, Flowers described a tiring and contentious campaign, but she urged her supporters to put the race behind them.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us. We already see the challenges that are in our city, and now it's time to pull together and make that happen," said Flowers. "You look in this room, and you see a diverse group of people in here. And it is time that we start getting rid of that divide in our city."
LaRocca is a government and criminal justice teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes High School. In a statement to WAMC, LaRocca thanked his supporters and his students for helping him through his campaign. He says he plans to form a coalition of those who voted for him to continue fighting “one party rule” in Poughkeepsie, adding: “I want to say publicly, that politicians who are committed to personal causes are dangerous to the residents of the City of Poughkeepsie.”
Both candidates ran on platforms that emphasized public safety, but they differed in their approaches. LaRocca pledged to increase the police department budget, and particularly expressed concern about the common council’s failure to vote on an updated memorandum of agreement to retain and recruit officers. He says, without approving the agreement and providing officers with incentive to stay, the city police force could lose a dangerous amount of its staff.
Flowers’ approach, meanwhile, emphasized a need to better coordinate social services offered by the county to address homelessness, mental illness, and the opioid epidemic.
"[First up is to] figure out who's actually going to win for the county executive, start getting ready to prepare to sit down and meet with them, and figure out how we're moving forward with the homeless shelter and how we're going to address the issues that are happening on our streets right now," she explains. "Because our people need to feel safe, but we also need to make sure individuals have the services they need."
Former Republican State Senator Sue Serino won the race for Dutchess County executive Tuesday, defeating Democrat Tommy Zurhellen.
Many common councilmembers, including Flowers, have said they were largely kept in the dark on the mayor’s deal with the Poughkeepsie PBA until recently. Councilors have said they want to consider how the agreement might impact the city’s 2024 budget before voting on it. Mayor Nelson has submitted a budget plan that would increase property taxes by 6.3 percent, requiring the council to override the state’s property tax cap for the first time in nearly a decade. The council has not yet voted on the matter.
Looking at the city’s only other contested race Tuesday, Third Ward Common Councilmember Evan Menist won a third term by turning back a challenge from Republican Victor Feit. Menist, a Democrat, calls it a validating win.
"I'm looking forward to keeping the work going, and I'm really excited about Yvonne Flowers' victory tonight. It's a huge win," says Menist. "We have an incredibly united city and an incredibly united city government going into next year. There's so much work to do for the people of the city of Poughkeepsie, and I'm ready to get to work to do it."
Flowers is a lifelong resident of Poughkeepsie who has spent four terms representing the fifth ward. The daughter of the late John Flowers, a celebrated community organizer and carpenter in the city, Flowers touts a long history of community outreach and credits her family with inspiring her to get into politics. Flowers’ brother, Frank, says he couldn’t be prouder.
"I want to make sure that people don't expect miracles, because Yvonne is a human being. But what I want to really see from this is everyone learning from this experience, and everyone playing their part," he adds. "Everyone has to play their part. If everyone plays their part, puts a little bit in, we're gonna get a great outcome."
