Nearly half the registered voters hit the polls Tuesday to vote. Now Rockland faces a new day as Republican Ed Day will become the county’s third County Executive, succeeding outgoing five-termer Scott Vanderhoef.

Day campaigned hard against Democratic challenger David Fried, with both men raising important, sometimes contentious issues related to the essential character of Rockland County — overdevelopment, the future of water, illegal housing, and how to fix the fiscal mess the county finds itself in.

“Starting Jan. 1 we are going to enact measures to ensure that we right the ship of this county,” Day told supporters, according to a report by LoHud. Day’s campaign gathered at the Nanuet Comfort Inn in what turned out to be a victory party.

“This county is in a crisis, we are in crisis,” Day said, adding that he would “reach across ethnic, racial and financial lines” to find common ground.

A disappointed Fried addressed supporters in Blauvelt Tuesday night and said his campaign was “one of  ideas.”

“I knew the campaign would not be easy,” Fried said. “I stand before you tonight, my head held high.” Fried said his campaign was a victory for the people of Rockland and the ideas presented throughout the many months knocking on doors and meeting people, including pausing the Haverstraw desal water treatment plant and getting people to think about county government.

In the end, Day pulled away, winning some 36,000 to Fried’s 32,000, one again demonstrating that candidates certainly do count on every voter. approximately 72,000 out of 178,000 eligible voters cast ballots. According to LoHud, Preserve Rockland gave Day some 8,300 which turned out to be the deciding factor.

In Suffern Trish Abato is close to becoming the village’s first female mayor in a tight race with fellow Village Trustee Falciglia. According to a morning report by LoHud’s Mareesa Nicosia, only 860 ballots were cast in the Suffern election, with 30 votes separating the two candidates.

Two new Suffern trustees will be sworn in as the Republican tandem of Matthew Byrne and Frank Hagen beat Lisa Estrin, Barbara Mazza and William Schoenleber in a five-way race. Byrne is a partner in the law firm Balsamo, Byrne, Cipriani & Ellsworth which act as the Village of Sloatsburg’s law department.

Rockland County Times’ Editor and Associate Publisher Dylan Skriloff will be back at the keyboard rapping political knuckles again as Skriloff lost his bid for Stony Point Supervisor. Encumbant Democrat Geoffrey Finn won re-election by a wide margin, 64% to 34%.

In the Town of Ramapo, Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence won another two-year term.

In the hotly contest Village of Spring Valley race, Mayor Noramie Jasmin got voted out of office and will be succeeded by longtime Village Trustee Demeza Delhomme. Jasmin has been under fire for official corruption and Delhomme rallied his supporters to finally tip the scales.

Video of Ed Day celebration at Comfort Inn and “We Won” picture courtesy of Ed Day Facebook page.