In a close race to fill one Harrison Town Council seat, Republican Rich Dionisio edged out Democrat Chris Rodier by approximately 167 votes, meaning the board will once again become all Republican.
According to unofficial results from the Westchester County Board of Elections, Dionisio won 49 percent of more than 9,700 total votes cast to Rodier’s 47 percent, as of press time. Final results were not released until early Wednesday morning, as a machine in one of the districts malfunctioned around 6 p.m. on Election Day, causing vote counts to be delayed.
Town Republicans gathered at the G. Caboto Italian Club on Purdy Street until after 11 p.m. on election night hoping for a victory, but the results were not released until around 2 a.m. the following morning. Before the final district released its results, Dionisio had a narrow lead, but his supporters at the club—which included councilmen Steve Malfatano and Fred Sciliano, Councilwoman Marlane Amelio, Mayor Ron Belmont, all Republicans, as well as Harrison attorneys Jonathan Kraut and Frank Allegretti and town Republican Chairman Bob Amelio—were not overtly celebratory and were tentative to accept the results until the final district was counted.
“If the official count maintains the lead that I have, I am so happy to serve this great community, and I thank everyone for their hard work and support,” Dionisio told the Review, adding that he would remain open to suggestions from residents in order to better serve the community.Dionisio’s campaign focused on improving the downtown district, maintaining a high quality of public services in town, and relocating the proposed site for the Brightview Senior Living Center which is planned for site of the former Lake Street Quarry, pending Planning Board approval.
Rodier ran on similar issues, but also criticized the town’s budgeting practices, most notably suggesting that the town should reduce its staffing count.
Rodier’s campaign became contentious when he said that he had been contacted by the Police Department after requesting public budget information from the town, claiming that the Town Council was using the police to harass him. Rodier told the Review that he did not regret making those claims, regardless of the effect it may have had on the election.
In the days leading up to the vote, Rodier was hoping to capture votes from the recent uproar in town related to a gun store opening less than 1,000 feet from Parsons Memorial Elementary School. Dionisio said he thought this issue may have made the race closer.
At Rodier’s Purchase home, town Democrats were more light-spirited in their concession.
“I’m disappointed and I feel that I failed to effectively communicate the differences between [Dionisio] and I,” Rodier said.
One area where Rodier seemed to resonate was at Purchase College, where he collected about 570 more votes than Dionisio. On Election Day, Rodier wrote a post on Facebook directed at Purchase College students asking for their votes.
Even though Democrats have not won an election since 2009, the party remains optimistic with an eye toward next year when three seats on the Town Council, including the mayor’s, will be up for grabs. “This was a valuable experience,” Rodier said. “And we will use the time between now and then to make our message clear.”
Democratic Councilman Joe Stout, who lost in a party primary to Rodier, was featured on the Election Day ballot under the Conservative line after garnering that endorsement during the campaign season. Stout, however, did not actively campaign during the general election but still received 449 votes, which could have swayed the election.
Stout was appointed to the seat in January to replace Joe Canella, a Republican who left the council when he was elected as town judge. Dionisio will complete the remainder of Canella’s unexpired four-year term, and would have to run again next year for a full four-year term.
