Village elections

It took a while, but the results - still unofficial but pretty convincing - are in for the village elections in Monroe and Tuxedo Park.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo postponed March village elections because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last Tuesday, Sept. 15, voters in both communities went to the polls to elect people who will decide their local taxes and business, environmental and quality of life issues.

What was different in Monroe and Tuxedo Park was that there were contested races.

Monroe

In Monroe, voters elected John M. Karl III and re-elected Debra E. Behringer to the Village Board.

Karl, who received the most votes of any of the four candidates, is a former village trustee and mayor; he also was the longtime DPW chief for the Village of Harriman.

In a letter to the editor appearing in this week’s Photo News, Karl wrote:

“I am ready to get to work with the Mayor and Trustees to get us back on track with all that needs to be done for the betterment of our Village.

“I would like to thank Irene Conklin for her years of dedicated service serving as trustee and the countless hours,” Karl added. “It is much appreciated.

Incumbent Village Justice Forrest Strauss ran unopposed for re-election.

Tuxedo Park

In the Village of Tuxedo Park, four candidates ran for two two-year positions on the Village Board.

Chris Kasker and Tinka Shaw outpolled Michael R. Coleman and John J. Watson.

Tuxedo Park Mayor David McFadden welcomed the new trustees.

“And please join me in thanking Trustee Alan Barnett and Trustee Maureen Coen for their service to the community and hard work,” McFadden wrote in an email announcing the unofficial results. “We have a hard road ahead of us as we face infrastructure challenges, lack of new homes to increase revenues, and of course, holding the line on property taxes. Together we will succeed.”