HUDSON – Party committee candidates fared well in primaries Tuesday, with District Attorney Beth Cozzolino, who is leaving her post to seek election as county judge, turning back a challenge on both the Republican and Independence lines by Chatham Town Justice Mark Portin.
In another closely watched race, Nick Haddad secured the Democratic line on the November ballot, turning back a bid by four-time mayoral candidate Linda Mussmann. A challenge to the petitions filed by the Hudson Democratic Committee meant that all the votes in that race were write-ins.
There were primary contests for minor party lines in several towns around the county. The official results are not yet tallied, but the county Board of Elections, in a break with its cumbersome reporting procedures in the past, has posted the handwritten vote count sheets on its website at www.columbiacountyny.com/depts/elections/2011unofficial.html.
The one countywide race that was relatively tight was between Ms. Cozzolino and Hudson Judge Richard Koweek for the Independence Party line. Ms. Cozzolino appears to have won that contest by by 23 votes, 158 to 135 in the unofficial tally. Judge Koweek has the Democratic line and will face Ms. Cozzolino in he fall election, with the results of the Independence primary indicating that the race could be close. Democrats hold a slim edge in enrollment countywide, so voters registered in minor parties or not enrolled in any political party could become more crucial to the outcome in the general election.
In Hudson the unofficial results had Mr. Haddad with 319 votes to 157 for Ms. Mussmann. There were 80 absentee ballots not yet counted, but that would not be enough to change the outcome.
In addition to locking up the Democratic line, Mr. Haddad will appear on the Working Families Party line. He will face Republican Bill Hallenbeck in the November election.
In a press release issued after the initial count was in Tuesday Mr. Haddad said, “I deeply appreciate of the strong support of rank-and-file Democrats from all over Hudson,” adding, “It’s time to reunite the party and carry this momentum forward to November.”
City Democrats also saw other intra-party challenges resulting in primaries:
*In a race for the party’s line for 1st Ward supervisor, the unofficial tally shows Sarah Sterling winning with 74 votes against incumbent Supervisor John Musall with 19
*The results for the race for the two seats on the Common Council in the 1st Ward had David Marston with 77 votes and Larissa Parks 76 against incumbent Alderwoman Geeta Cheddie, who had 24
*Ellen Thurston scored a convincing win for the 3rd Ward Supervisor nomination, defeating Glenn Martin 94 to 16.
In other races around the county:
*Ed Nabozny and John Porecca were tied at 16 votes each in the unofficial count in the race for the Independence Party line for supervisor in Greenport. Also in Greenport, Mark Gaylord appears to have won the Independence line against Peter Goldman 19 to 12 in the highway superintendent race
*In Kinderhook, only one vote separated town justice candidates David Dellehunt (9) from James Carlucci (10) in the contest for the Conservative line, but in the Independence Party primary the outcome was reversed, with a two-vote difference between Mr. Dellehunt (29) and Mr. Carlucci (27). Lillian Roginski defeated Gary Simpkins for the Independence nod for Kinderhook assessor 44 to 17
*New Lebanon Supervisor Margaret Robertson appeared to have won the Independence line against Mike Benson 9 to 6
*In Stockport there were write-ins for the Independence candidates for supervisor and town board but their names were “unknown” and the candidates for those offices, Jeff Seymour, Wayne Kinney, Carl Roby ands Daniel Marcus will all receive the party’s endorsement
*In Stuyvesant Lee Jamison held a 2-vote lead over Ron Knott for the Independence endorsement, 12 to 10. The situation for the party’s Town Board nomination was even tighter, with two seats open and 5 candidates: Kelly Williams (11), Thomas Burrrall (9), Beth Kiernan (6), Fred Heron (11) and Ed Kiernan (5)
*John Spencer ran unopposed for the Independence line for town justice in Copake
*Eric Mortenson and Thomas Garrick appear to have won seats as GOP committeemen in Gallatin based on unofficial numbers
There were also races for the judicial convention delegates and alternates for the Independence Party.