PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – It was primary election day in New York on Tuesday, and the results are in for the only contested race in our region—Plattsburgh mayor.
Results from the Clinton County Board of Elections show Wendell Hughes has secured the mayoral seat over opponent Dan Lennon in a 553 to 394 vote.
Hughes will now go on to the November election as the Democrat’s main candidate against the republican candidate and former mayor Donald Kasprzak.
Hughes and Kasprzak are both focused on addressing recreation, namely establishing a new recreation center. Hughes says he will continue to build upon his momentum, while Lennon says he’s only getting started.
“We are gonna do communication, collaboration, and compromise, and hopefully we can look back in four years and say, ‘Wow, look at what we did,’” said Hughes.
“I think I have a lot of potential when it comes to city government or any government in general and I think there is always an open door down the road to run for me to run for political office as well,” said Lennon.
In the Ward 3 council race, Ward 3 Councilor Elizabeth Gibbs beat Mayor Chris Rosenquest in the primary with more than 69% of the vote.
Hughes will be back on the ballot November 5.
There were other names on the primary ballots in the North Country today, but no contests.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik was the only person in the Republican primary for New York’s 21st Congressional District. Stefanik will be on the ballot in November seeking her sixth term in Congress.
She will face Paula Collins in the November election. Collins, a lawyer who lives in Canton, was the only candidate on the Democratic ballot.
It was a similar story for the three legislative seats covering our region. State Senator Dan Stec, Assemblyman Billy Jones, and Matthew Simpson each were the only candidates on the ballot for their respective primaries. They will all be on the ballot in November, and none of them will have major party opponents, making them all but guaranteed to be re-elected.