Rockland County’s Nov. 8 elections had something for everyone in the Town of Ramapo — something old, something new, something red, something blue. Unofficial results from the Rockland County Board of Elections demonstrated it was good to already hold office as most incumbents throughout the county won re-election. Results also showed strong support across party lines from third party ballot affiliations such as Working Families, Conservative and Preserve Ramapo.
In the Town of Ramapo supervisor’s race, Christopher St. Lawrence once again held off a very aggressive and highly vocal challenge, this time from Preserve Ramapo candidate Bob Rhodes. St. Lawrence won his bid for a 6th term as Ramapo supervisor with a multi-party strategy that worked brilliantly as he headed the Democratic, Conservative, Working Families, and Independent tickets, which ultimately proved too much for Rhodes and Republican Marino Fontana, who finished a distant third. After weak early returns, St. Lawrence rallied big as his solid support districts finished strong, beating both candidates handily. Winning 55% of the total votes cast in the supervisor race, St. Lawrence tallied 11,809 votes to Rhodes’ 6,799 and Fontana’s 2,787.
With two Ramapo board seats up for grabs, fresh-faced but politically experienced Democratic Councilman Daniel Friedman, 25, of New Hempstead, took top vote count and will continue as a full term board member. Friedman was appointed in 2010 after board member Edward Friedman, no relation, died in office. The second open board, being vacated by retiring board member Frances Hunter, was won by Democrat Brendel Logan. For these open board seats, the candidate(s) with the most votes win. In a crowded field, Friedman and Logan garnered 29% and 27% of the vote, finishing first and second thus winning the seats. Both ran under multiple party banners. Preserve Ramapo candidates Emilia White and Patricia Wooters each garnered 15% of the vote.
As Ramapo Supervisor, St. Lawrence will earn a $145,000 per year salary. Board members are paid approximately $35,000 per year.
In the town justice race, Democrat Alan Simon defeated long-time justice Arnie Etelson, who ran as a Republican and has sat on the bench nearly two decades. Simon will also continue as a Spring Valley justice. Tony Sharan, who ran unopposed, won re-election as Town of Ramapo Highway Superindendent.
The big county-wide race for retiring Sheriff James Kralik’s position saw strong voter turnout. Democrat and Working Families candidate Louis Falco, who appeared to be highly popular in Sloatsburg, with red Falco yard signs dotting properties, beat Conservative and Independent candidate Tim O’Neill and Republican candidate Matthew Brennan. Falco, currently Sheriff’s Chief of Patrol, won nearly 51% of the vote, beating O’Neill 28,477 to 20,166. Republican candidate Matthew Brennan had 7,319 votes.
Republican incumbent Doug Jobson, first elected in 1997, won re-election again in his District 1 race, this go-round against Democrat Michael Diederich. District 1, which runs along the western/northwester border of Rockland County, from Sloatsburg up through Stony Point along the Hudson, is Rockland’s largest legislative district in terms of land coverage. Rep. Jobson wore many hats as well, running as a Republican as well as on the Conservative, Working Families and Independent tickets. He beat Diederich 54% to 45%.
