Lori Fontanes outside the polling station at Rye Middle School on Election Day
There were many close races across the country this Election Day and more than the usual number of candidates who waited a week or more — not in Florida, mind you — to receive the official results.
First-time Democratic candidate Lori Fontanes, who ran for a seat on the Rye City Council, was one of them. On November 16, the Westchester County Board of Elections confirmed that Fontanes had garnered 51 percent of the vote, edging former City Councilmember Matt Fahey, an Independent who ran on the Republican line. The final tally was 3,202 to 3,070.
In a conversation with the paper, Fontanes stated, “I am happy, honored to have been chosen, and humbled.” She was especially pleased with the “exceptional” turnout in a midterm election.
Fellow Democrat Josh Nathan, who won a seat on the City Council last year, told the paper that he looks forward to working with her. “Lori brings valuable knowledge from her extensive track record of volunteer service in Rye, good temperament for thoughtful dialogue on the dais, and cares deeply about the needs of our residents and neighborhoods.”
State Senator Shelley Mayer, who has represented the 37th District since 2018, handily defeated Frank Murtha, her Republican opponent. The unofficial vote count showed Mayer with 66,337 votes, 61%, to Murtha’s 42,368, 39%.
Democrat Steve Otis, who has represented the New York Assembly’s 91st District since 2013, ran unopposed. It is worth noting that his recent proposal for a municipal stormwater grant program was included in the 2022 Environmental Bond referendum, which voters approved by a large margin.
In New York’s 16th Congressional District race, Democrat Jamaal Bowman was reelected; with 96% of votes counted, Bowman received 131,185 votes, 64%, while Republican Miriam Levitt Flisser received 73,238, 36%.
