Millerton voters re-elect Middlebrook and Sherman

MILLERTON — It’s official — incumbents Debbie Middlebrook and Dave Sherman have been re-elected as trustees to the Village Board. Election Day was Tuesday, March 15. Elections were held at the Nutrition Center adjacent to Village Hall from noon to 9 p.m.

“I believe the elections ran very smoothly,” said Village Clerk Amber Jordan, who was in charge of the elections. 

This was the first year village voters had to use paper ballots, which replaced the lever-activated voting machines following the adoption of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. New York started phasing out the lever machines in 2015.

Jordan said that despite the change, elections went off without a hitch.

“The election inspectors did a great job tallying up the votes,” she said. “In past years, with utilizing the lever machines, we would be done around 9:30 p.m. This year, we were done at 10 p.m.”

By the time the polls closed, 149 village residents had cast their ballots at the Nutrition Center; 16 absentee ballots were also cast. The total number of registered voters in the village of Millerton is 454.

“It’s a lot for a non-mayoral election,” said Jordan of the turnout.

Debbie Middlebrook

Democrat Middlebrook, who was elected to her fifth two-year term March 15, said she, too, was gratified by the strong turnout.

“I was very pleased,” she said. “I was extremely appreciative of the number of people who came out to participate in the election — it was a wonderfully large turnout for a trustee race.”

Middlebrook was the highest vote-getter. She receive 99 votes.

“I’m really kind of honored that people appreciate the work I’m doing on the board,” she said. 

Middlebrook also took a moment to pay tribute to her Democratic running-mate, Melissa Marcou, who earned 69 votes on Election Day.

“She worked very hard on her campaign and is very committed to the community,” said the trustee. “It was a pleasure working with her.”

Middlebrook said she’s ready to return to work. Infrastructure improvements are on the top of her to-do list.

“The next big project underway for the village is the completion of the sidewalks for Main Street on the south side, from Coyote Point to the Rail Trail, where the Irondale Schoolhouse is.”

From there, there’s more infrastructure to address.

“I think the next big issue that’s going to face the village is the water system,” Middlebrook added. “We have been faced with many issues, with leaks and repairs. We’re also going to have to address that we need to do something about Eddie Collins Field.”

Middlebrook said she’s hoping to work with the Recreation Commission on the park. One improvement she’d like to see is refurbishment of the basketball courts.

“We’re trying to set money aside for that, and I think a nonprofit has donated to that cause as well,” she said, adding that she’d like to bring a park designer on board first, to help plan the project.

Dave Sherman

Republican Dave Sherman was re-elected to his second term March 15. The trustee also served as North East town supervisor for 18 years before making the switch to village government.

Sherman received the second highest number of votes Election Day, with 89 in his favor.

“In two words: very gratifying,” said Sherman. “I think it’s always good and exciting to see a strong turnout for a village election. That means the people are interested in what’s going on and who is running for office. It’s very gratifying to know that many of the voters supported you and believe you can do a good job, and it’s my aim not to let them down.”

While Sherman said he doesn’t want to “overload the plate,” he’d like the board to focus on the village’s water system — including digitizing its maps — improving the Village Hall basement and working on Eddie Collins Field.

“We’re not going to rush out and throw money where we don’t have to, but we’ll try to look toward the future in terms of how we can improve our offerings to the people,” he said. 

Additionally, said the trustee, he wants the board to devise a capital plan for needed improvements to the water system, and to work on a water rate schedule that is “fair and equitable.”

Sidewalks are, as always, also on his list of musts. Applying for grant funding for much of the infrastructure work will be important, said Sherman, as the village doesn’t have the money to fund all of the necessary improvements on its own.

Overall, he said, he’s pleased with how elections went, and he’s looking forward to hearing from his constituents in the upcoming year.

“People want to talk about what’s important to them,” he said. “And that helps the board get more focused on moving forward — and we have a lot of things to do.”

Remaining results

The fourth candidate who ran for the Village Board this year was Gina Tierney, a newcomer to the political scene. Tierney received a total of 63 votes on Election Day.

Middlebrook and Sherman, meanwhile, will renew their oaths of office at the Village Board’s reorganization meeting, scheduled for Monday, April 4, at 7 p.m. at Village Hall.