Fred Akshar successfully defeated Kathleen Newcomb in the race for Broome County Sheriff Tuesday.
Akshar, a Republican, garnered 73 percent of the vote according to Election Day results from the Broome County Board of Elections.
Speaking to a gathering of Republicans in the City of Binghamton Tuesday night, Akshar said he’s looking forward to bringing change to the department.
“This race was about ensuring that people were safe, ensuring that we didn’t have never-ending lawsuits, a terrible culture, the lowest morale in decades and I think the sky is the limit for us with respect to what we can do for this community,” Akshar said.
Akshar ran a well-financed campaign and received the endorsement of the sheriff department’s largest union.
Newcomb, received the endorsement of current Sheriff David Harder, a six-term incumbent Republican. Speaking to WSKG shortly after midnight, Akshar said Newcomb hadn’t contacted him to concede.