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Voters wait in a line that stretch out the door to receive their ballots at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voting machines had recorded a total of more than 700 ballots cast in Millerton by 4:45 p.m.
Photo by Graham Corrigan
Roush won that contest with 598 votes to Walsh's 465, according to preliminary election results available on the Dutchess County Board of Elections website. That's a margin of nearly 13 percentage points. Walsh won reelection last year by just 8 votes in a contest with Town Board member Kevin Walsh.
Some voters said their decision was influenced by Walsh's handling of controversy earlier in the year following a report from the New Pine Plains Herald that the town had entered into an $80,000 agreement with surveillance company Flock Safety without the Town Board's approval.
“We need a change locally,” said Mary Woods, a resident in her 80s. “I didn’t like the camera stuff. And nationally, this is the most important midterm of my life.”
“I broke lines to go with Roush,” said a woman named Eileen who declined to share her last name. She said her vote was influenced by the Flock controversy, but her chief concern was the lack of affordable housing in the area.
Other Pine Plains residents were more concerned about finding future-looking candidates, regardless of ideology. “We want someone who wants what’s best for the community,” said Lisa Zayas. “Who will bring in businesses, improve water and sewage, and make Pine Plains alive again. I don’t care who does it — it’s not political.”
Poll watcher Jim Petrie — who also chairs the Pine Plains Democratic Committee — said attendance was steady throughout the day. “It was non-stop from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” he said, commending the poll workers charged with processing voters. “They’ve barely had a chance for coffee.”
Alexander secures County Legislature seat
At the county level, Legislator Eric Alexander defeated Republican challenger Stefanie Hubert to secure reelection. He will now serve out a full two-year term representing Amenia, Washington and the eastern portion of Pleasant Valley in the County Legislature. He secured his reelection with 54.6% of the vote, with 2,583 votes to challenger Stefanie Hubert’s 2,143.
Alexander, a Town of Washington resident, was first elected to the seat in an upset election last November. He defeated Republican incumbent and fellow Washington resident Deirdre Houston, who served in the position for eight years and was re-elected four times in a row.
In his first year, Alexander took an active role in the Flock camera controversy and encouraged EMS reforms. He’s also been an advocate for animal welfare, recently launching the county’s first hotline to report animal cruelty.
Alexander, Walsh and other candidates that were elected to two-year terms last November had their terms cut short by a year due to a state mandate. New York State required all local and municipal elections to align with the even-year midterm and presidential election schedules starting this year. Officials elected to four-year terms last November will have to campaign for reelection in the next presidential election in 2028.
Amenia voters fill out their ballots at Church of Immaculate Conception. Voters weighed in on a variety of high-profile positions, including governor and attorney general.Photo by Graham CorriganDemocrats' strong showing
During an election results watch party in Poughkeepsie, the next chapter started for Dutchess Democrats. “I don’t have to campaign tomorrow,” Alexander said with relief. He, along with County Legislator Chris Drago, North East Supervisor Chris Kennan, had gathered with fellow local candidates to watch the results come in. The Democratic wins piled up: Nakia Simmons won her County Legislature bid to represent Poughkeepsie, as did David Siegel in Lagrange.
One exception was in the State Assembly, where Republican Anil Beephan fought off a challenge from Democrat Brooklyn Talarico for District 105, which includes Amenia and Dover. Beephan won with 54.2% of the vote.
But Democrats' overall success in Dutchess County aligns with national trends. Preliminary results from the Dutchess County Board of Elections indicate voters across the county were more supportive of Democrats this year than in previous midterms. That sentiment appears to have affected results in the county for statewide races such as governor and attorney general.
Dutchess County has leaned Republican in statewide and national elections. In 2022, the last time Governor Kathy Hochul was on the ballot, she lost the county by more than 5,000 votes. This year, preliminary results show that Hochul came out on top among voters in Dutchess County. She secured 63,452 votes from Dutchess County voters this year, a more than 14% increase in votes from 2022 despite an overall drop in total ballots cast in that race by about 1,000 votes. Blakeman ended the night with 49,458 votes.
Eric Alexander, back right, watches voting results for his County Legislator race alongside his staff and fellow Dutchess Democrats. Alexander retained his seat, defeating challenger Stefanie Hubert by 440 votes. Photo by Graham Corrigan
Data from other races makes the trend more clear. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, State Attorney General Letitia James and U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, all Democrats, out-performed their 2022 elections by thousands of votes in races that saw no significant shifts in overall turnout.
Local sentiment
Voters in Millerton were mixed in their support, and had differing views on what was important in this year's election. Many voters who spoke to The Millerton News as they left the polls said they were supporting Democratic candidates to counter the Trump administration, expressing dissatisfaction with his policies regarding immigration, the economy and conflict in Iran. Just as many focused their energy on New York State and dissatisfaction with Governor Hochul, calling attention to high utility bills and local affordability.
Donna Scott and her husband, John, said they didn't have any particular issues at the top of mind as they cast their ballots, except disapproval for President Trump. They said they felt it was important to vote for candidates at every level who would work to fight against the president's agenda.
"We don't like the way the administration is going, and we don't want to support him through the Senate and the House," John said. "Even our local representatives. I stand firmly on that."
Other voters, such as Audra Milano, took a different perspective. She said her decision was influenced by dissatisfaction with Hochul and high electricity and natural gas prices in the state. She said her daughter, who recently moved to Amsterdam, New York, after a stint living in Arkansas, has had to contend with $1,200 utility bills recently that she blamed on Hochul's administration.
"She wanted to come back closer to family," Milano said. "Now they're probably going to have to leave again, because they cannot afford their mortgage and that electric bill every month."
Amenia's polling location is Church of Immaculate Conception on Lavalle Road.Photo by Graham Corrigan
Many other races in northeast Dutchess County went uncontested — Stanford and Amenia did not have Republican candidates for Town Supervisor and Town Board. Amenia Town Supervisor Rosanna Hamm will now serve a full two-year term in the position after winning an uncontested election this year. She was first elected to that seat last year when she defeated Republican challenger Terrence McCauley.
Wassaic resident Damian Gutierrez will be taking a seat on Amenia's Town Board after an uncontested general election. Gutierrez previously served on Amenia's Town Board from 2016 to 2023. In Stanford, Town Supervisor Julia Descouteaux was reelected this year in an uncontested race.
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The board’s job was to find savings — it found a school to close instead