By Mike Schnitzel
The following are unofficial election results obtained from the office of the Valley Stream village clerk after the polls closed on Tuesday night. Official results were not available until after the Herald went to press.
Robert Bogle, United Community 1,417
Edward Cahill, United Community 1,281
Joanne Antun, United Community 1,268
Guido Cirenza, United Community 1,247
William Freda, Valley Residents 381
Nannette Stanya, Valley Residents 351
Alan Schaechter, Valley Residents 350
The Valley Stream United Community Party's slate of candidates was re-elected by a wide margin on Tuesday night.
After the polls closed at 9 p.m., the village clerk's office reported unofficially that Mayor Edward Cahill was re-elected with 1,281 votes. First-time challenger Alan Schaechter, of the Valley Residents¹ Party, garnered 350 votes.
Deputy Mayor Guido Cirenza and Trustee Joanne Antun were re-elected with 1,247 and 1,268 votes, respectively. Valley Residents Party challengers William Freda and Nannette Stanya received 380 and 350 votes.
Robert Bogle, was running unopposed for his sixth term as village justice, received 1,417 votes.
In total, 1,673 of about 15,000 eligible voters cast votes, a turnout of 11 percent, according to Village Clerk Vincent Ang. "All in all, the elections went pretty orderly all the way along," Ang said.
The results were not made official until the vote canvassing process was completed, after the Herald went to press.
Freda said that the low turnout should be a signal to state officials that there need to be changes in the way village elections are conducted. "It's clear from the low participation number that New York state has to examine whether voting in municipal elections in March is best," Freda said. "I think we should vote in November, when we vote for county and township offices."
Cahill will begin his third term as mayor when he is formally sworn in, along with Cirenza and Antun, at the village's reorganization meeting on April 2. "I'm very excited," Cahill said of his re-election. "I never take anything for granted in life. I'm happy the full team got re-elected, and I want to keep doing the best we can for Valley Stream."
Cahill¹s priorities for a third term include making sure the village has good police protection, maintaining parks and facilities and rooting out illegal housing, he said. "We have to go after illegal basement apartments," Cahill said. "They put a drain on the village and the school system, and it's dangerous for people to live in the basement if the fire department doesn't know they're there."
In the wake of his first run for public office, Schaechter congratulated the United Community Party candidates on their victory and lauded their service to the village. "I wish all of you the very best in continuing to serve all of the many good people of our Village of Valley Stream," Schaechter
Gary Shaw, a political analyst and 40-year member of the Valley Stream Fire Department, votes in every election, and came out to show his support on Tuesday night. "This administration has worked closely with the fire department to get us the necessary equipment and training," Shaw said.
Linda D'Arco, a 40-year resident, said she also votes in every election and felt that it was important to let her voice be heard. "I vote every year," D'Arco said. "I think it's very important that everybody vote."
The reorganization meeting of the village¹s Board of Trustees will be held on Monday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m., in Village Hall.
Comments about this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
