This article was updated on Nov. 5.
The Democratic City Council candidates pulled off a clean sweep at the polls, winning all three open seats — and with it, unified control of the council.
Candidates Marion Anderson and Amy Kesavan rang up 19 percent of the vote and Ward 18 percent, according to unofficial results from the Westchester County Board of Elections. On the Republican slate, Robin Jovanovich received 15 percent, and James Fee and Maria Shuck 14 percent each.
“It’s a great day for Rye,” said Ward, an incumbent who was running for his first full term on the council. “I think we ran a hard campaign, our opponents also ran great campaigns, and we’re just really happy to have won.
“I’m looking forward to working with everyone.”
The candidates celebrated at Rye Grill & Bar, exchanging hugs and laughter as glasses clinked and supporters filled the room.
The result will reshape the City Council in January. Exiting will be Mayor Josh Cohn and Deputy Mayor Julie Souza, who are no longer affiliated with the local Democratic Party and had split from both their Democratic and Republican colleagues on the council.
The new council will be overwhelmingly Democratic. Only one Republican, Keith Cunningham, will remain on the council when the calendar turns to 2026.
Election night was also historic as Anderson became the first Black person elected to the Rye City Council, according to the campaign.
Photo Alison Rodilosso
“I think it’s a big change for the city of Rye that we’ve got a unified team that’s going to take this community to better heights,” she said.
During the campaign, the council candidates ran on largely similar platforms, from monitoring downtown development to updating the city’s comprehensive plan. The biggest instance where the slates seem to differ was over the city’s continued default participation in Sustainable Westchester, a renewable energy program.
At a debate last month, Democrats backed keeping residents automatically enrolled in the greener electricity option, while Republican ticket candidates Maria Shuck and Robin Jovanovich seemed to oppose the program, suggesting that residents should make that choice themselves.
Photo Joy Malone
The City Council voted earlier this year to continue the program and to make participation the default option, meaning residents are automatically enrolled unless they choose to opt out for another energy provider, like Con Edison. The vote fell along party lines with Republican councilmen Bill Henderson and Keith Cunningham opposing the city’s involvement in the program.
During the campaign, Democrats raised much less money than the Republicans but they had a sizeable advantage in voter registration.
Kesavan took a moment to “appreciate” her opponents, calling the election the “tightest race we’ve had in a long time.”
Then she looked ahead.
“We gave voters incredible options and we look forward to representing them,” she said.
