Philipstown and Putnam Election Results

After nearly 30 years on the bench, Stephen Tomann did not seek re-election as Philipstown justice. Two attorneys in private practice, Randall Chiera and Angela Thompson-Tinsley, ran to succeed him. It was the first contested election for the position since Tomann won a three-way race in 1995. The justice serves a four-year term.

Chiera (R, C) 768 (30%)
✓ Thompson-Tinsley (D, Team Philipstown) 1,822 (70%)

The three candidates for two seats on the Town Board were incumbents Judy Farrell and Bob Flaherty and challenger Neal Tomann.

Farrell was appointed in 2019 to replace Nancy Montgomery, who had been elected to the county Legislature. She won the seat later that year and was seeking a second, 4-year term. Flaherty was appointed in 2015 when Dave Merandy was elected as Cold Spring mayor. Flaherty was elected that fall and is seeking his third term.

Neal Tomann, a member of the Philipstown Planning Board, ran for the Town Board in 2021, when he was third in a four-way race behind Jason Angell and Megan Cotter, whose seats will be on the ballot in 2024.

✓ Farrell (D, Team Philipstown) 1,795 (38%)
✓ Flaherty (D, C) 1,988 (42%)
Tomann (R, C) 923 (20%)

Supervisor John Van Tassel ran unopposed for a second, 2-year term and Highway Superintendent Adam Hotaling ran unopposed for a 4-year term after being elected in 2022 to finish the term of Carl Frisenda, who retired for health reasons. Tara Percacciolo, the town clerk, ran unopposed for a second, 4-year term. All three are Democrats.

In Cold Spring, Mayor Kathleen Foley and Trustee Eliza Starbuck ran unopposed for their second, 2-year terms. Cathryn Fadde, the owner of Cathryn’s Tuscan Grill, did not seek re-election to what would have been her third term; her seat will be filled by Aaron Freimark, a senior vice president at Imprivata, a healthcare technology firm. All three candidates appeared on the Forge Ahead line.

The other members of the Cold Spring board are Tweeps Phillips Woods and Laura Bozzi, whose seats will be on the ballot in 2024.

In Putnam County, Robert Tendy, a Republican who has been district attorney since 2015, ran unopposed for a third, 4-year term. He ran unopposed in 2019, as well.

There were three open seats on the Putnam County Legislature, which has nine members who serve 3-year terms. Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley and is in her second term, is the sole Democrat. Her seat will be on the ballot in 2024.

In Putnam Valley, William Gouldman was seeking a fourth term, his last because of term limits. He was challenged by Maggie Ploener, a massage therapist and artist.

✓ Gouldman (R, C) 1,390 (57%)
Ploener (D, WF) 1,059 (43%)

In Kent, Toni Addonizio was seeking her fourth and final term. She faced Kathy Kahng, who owns CityRax, a firm that works on public space projects, and serves on the Putnam County Land Trust board.

✓ Addonizio (R, C) 1,252 (55%)
Kahng (D) 1,042 (45%)

In Mahopac, Amy Sayegh ran unopposed for a third term.

STATE COURT

There were eight candidates for four seats on the state Supreme Court for the 9th Judicial District, which covers Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties.

The seats were held by two incumbents, Francesca Connolly and Charley Wood, and two Rockland County justices who reached mandatory retirement age.

Despite its name, the Supreme Court is not the highest court in New York. That is the Court of Appeals. Instead, it is a trial court that operates at the county level.

Justices serve 14-year terms. The Supreme Court justices in Putnam County are Gina Capone (elected in 2019) and Victor Grossman (2013).

9TH DISTRICT (98 percent of districts reporting)

✓ Francesca Connolly (D, C) 195,145
✓ Charley Wood (D, C) 184,576
✓ Rolf Thorsen (D, C) 180,570
✓ Larry Schwartz (D, C) 177,252
John Sarcone (R) 134,510
Susan Sullivan-Bisceglia (R) 129,465
John Ciampoli (R) 125,624
Karen Ostberg (R) 125,535

PUTNAM
John Sarcone (R) 9,406
Francesca Connolly (D, C) 9,402
Charley Wood (D, C) 9,101
Susan Sullivan-Bisceglia (R) 8,906
Larry Schwartz (D, C) 8,839
Rolf Thorsen (D, C) 8,719
John Ciampoli (R) 8,658
Karen Ostberg (R) 8,582

PROPOSALS

There were two statewide proposals on the ballot. The first would allow New York’s 57 small-city school districts, including Beacon, to borrow up to 10 percent of the value of the taxable real estate in the district, rather than 5 percent. It passed statewide with 57 percent of the vote. In Putnam, it received 56 percent.

The second proposal would extend for 10 years the authority of counties, cities, towns and villages to remove borrowing for the construction of sewage facilities from their mandated debt limits. It passed statewide with 60 percent of the vote. In Putnam, it received
60 percent.