Unopposed Pound Ridge Election Yields No Surprises

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. – As the polls closed at 9 p.m. Tuesday night, there were no surprises in this year’s Pound Ridge town elections – everyone was running unopposed.

While voter turnout was somewhat tepid, as election officials expected in an uncontested election, Supervisor Gary Warshauer (R) was elected to his fifth two-year term and Councilman Richard Lyman (R) gained his third four-year term on the town board. Newcomer Ali Boak (D) will take the seat of outgoing Councilman Paul McConville, who decided not to seek re-election.

Town Clerk Joanne Pace and Justice Regina Kelly were also re-elected.

With eight years under his belt as town supervisor, Warshauer said he relishes his job and is looking to four more years.

"Pound Ridge depnds on a real team effort between our town employees and volunteers and I'm priviledged to be a part of that again," he said.

Lyman, a lifelong Pound Ridge resident, said he was glad his campaign was uncontested.

“I’m not a real extrovert; I’m not a glad-hander, so it made my life a lot easier in that regard,” he said “Campaigning is not my favorite thing.”

Lyman said that party politics don’t really play a role in how Pound Ridge is governed. “What it comes down to there is no Democratic or Republican way to run Pound Ridge,” he said. “It’s strictly a love of the community and what you can do best for it.”

Boak said that as the newcomer to the town board, she hopes to get more people involved in town business and make the government more open. “A lot of people complain they don’t know what’s going and there’s a lot more that could be done to make the government more accessible,” she said.

“We need to get people involved. They don’t interact [with the government] until they go to build a family room or swimming pool. We could increase our communication with the residents by recording our meetings and putting them up on the website.”

Pace said she is looking forward to another four years as the town clerk. “It’s been a pleasure to serve for the past eight years,” she said. “I try to perform my duties in a professional manner and I’m receptive to new ideas.” 

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What can the town do to get more people involved in the business of the local government? Should they stream town meetings on the website? Join the discussion and leave your comment below.

 

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