Final Ballots Put Stewart Over Top for Orangetown Supervisor

The Rockland County Board of Elections counted the six remaining absentee ballots in Orangetown late Wednesday morning, but the race for Orangetown Supervisor may not be over yet.

Of the final six, two were cast for incumbent Democrat Andy Stewart, three for Republican challenger Walter Wettje and one did not vote for Supervisor, giving Stewart a two-vote victory pending a possible appeal.

"I'm very happy that we are ahead by two votes and the election is over," Stewart said. "IT's been a stressful month. I've been really impressed by the board of elections and the court system. I think everybody has done their job well."

Wettje said it isn't over yet as he walked from the conference room in the Rockland Board of Elections offices in New City where the votes were counted. Wettje met briefly with his attorney, Guy Parisi, before leaving and said that they would decide by Thursday if they would file an appeal. 

"It was an interesting race," Wettje said. "It's my first time at this. It's a tough haul, but it's worthwhile. When I first started, not too many people knew who I was. I was the unknown and people know who I am now and that is a good thing.

"We're not sure what we are going to do. We're going to talk about strategy. We will continue to meet today and tomorrow and make a decision by tomorrow whether or not we will go to the next step or we will concede."

The count has Stewart with 6,163 votes to 6,161 for Wettje. 

"I think a lot of people are kicking themselves because they did not vote or didn't do what they could to get a friend to vote," Stewart said. "I think there is a lesson in that. That goes for both sides. Turnout is always not as much as you'd think. Every vote counts and people need to pay close attention."

Rockland Elections Commissioner Louis Babcock said the deadline to certify the results is Dec. 15, but an appeal could take longer than that if one is filed.

The Orangetown Supervisor election met with delays even before both candidates challenged ballots. All votes in Rockland and four other counties were impounded for a week after election day in relation to the election 9th Judicial District Supreme Court Justice election. Both candidates filed petitions as the election went to court in late November, primarily related to absentee ballots. 

Judge Victor J. Alfieri had ruled on most of the petitions before this week began. There were 41 absentee votes that had been counted which Stewart's attorney, Alan Goldston, challenged on the basis of what he argued was a flaw in the absentee ballot application. Alfieri dismissed that petition Tuesday.

There were also 12 remaining absentee ballots that had not been counted which Stewart had challenged. He removed his challenge on one and five Alfieri ruled that five others should be counted, but another six were not to be counted. 

Among those ballots not counted were those from an elderly couple on which the husband had signed the the wife's envelope and the wife had signed the husband's envelope. In another instance, an absentee ballot was returned to a voter to deal with some issue, which he discovered upon returning from out of town on election day, Nov. 5. He mailed it back in, but admitted in court he did not send it until Nov. 6, the day after the deadline.