© 2024 WSKG

601 Gates Road
Vestal, NY 13850

217 N Aurora St
Ithaca, NY 14850

FCC LICENSE RENEWAL
FCC Public Files:
WSKG-FM · WSQX-FM · WSQG-FM · WSQE · WSQA · WSQC-FM · WSQN · WSKG-TV · WSKA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Election 2023: Here are some of the biggest races around the Southern Tier

A voting site in Broome County.(Vaughn Golden/WSKG)
Vaughn Golden
/
WSKG News
A voting site in Broome County.

Tuesday is Election Day. Polls are open in New York from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Check the New York State Board of Elections for your polling location.

Broome County

The Broome County Board of Elections has a list of all the candidates running in the county and sample ballots.

District attorney

Republican Paul Battisti is running against Democrat Matt Ryan for district attorney. Battisti has worked as a private practice defense attorney for about 20 years. Ryan served as Binghamton’s mayor from 2006 to 2013. Before that, he worked as a public defender for 15 years.

Binghamton City Council

Almost all of the Binghamton City Council seats will be up for grabs. Currently, Republicans on the city council hold a narrow 4 to 3 majority. Several incumbent council members are up against challengers for their seats. In the city’s 2nd District, voters will choose between the incumbent, Republican Sophia Resciniti, and the Democratic candidate Kinya Middleton.

In the 7th District, incumbent Republican Councilman Thomas Scanlon is running against Democrat Michael Dundon. Republican Phillip Strawn will defend his 5th District seat against Democrat Rebecca Rathmell.

Some of the contested races are between new candidates. In the city’s 1st District, Olamni Porter, a Democratic and Working Families candidate, is running against Mary Ann Callahan on the Conservative and Republican party lines.

Republican and Conservative candidate Brian Nayor is taking on Nate Hotchkiss, a Democrat and Working Families nominee, for the 4th District.

And in the 5th district, the Democratic Party nominated Hadassah Mativetsky to replace current Council Member Joe Burns. Mativetsky’s opponent, Republican candidate Mario Lisi, pulled out of the race in September. Mativetsky is now up against Kevin Reilly, the Conservative and Republican candidate.

Vestal town supervisor, town council

Another contested race is for Vestal town supervisor. Incumbent John Schaffer is running on the Conservative Party line. He’s fighting off challengers from both sides; Democrat Maria Sexton and Republican Ted Wolf are also running for the position.

Sexton defeated Schaffer in the Democratic primary in June. She’s part of “Real Democracy 4 Vestal", a group of three candidates, including Robert Greene and Glenn Miller, who are both running for Vestal Town Council.

Republican Patrick McPherson is also running for a seat on town council. Voters will pick two candidates.

Endicott mayor

In Endicott, incumbent Mayor Linda Jackson is running as a third-party candidate under the “Endicotters” party line. She’s up against both Republican and Conservative candidate Nick Burlingame, a village board trustee, and Democrat Larry Coppola, the village planning board chair.

Tompkins County

Ithaca residents will head to the polls to choose a new mayor and vote in multiple common council elections.

Ithaca mayor

Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis is not seeking reelection. Voters will choose between Democrat and Working Families candidate Robert Cantelmo and Republican Janis Kelly.

After some major restructuring of the city governance by the common council, much of the traditional responsibilities of mayor will be taken over by an appointed city manager. The next elected mayor will essentially act as head of common council… including having a regular vote on the council.

Ithaca Common Council

All of the city’s common council seats are up for election. But several candidates are running unopposed. Multiple common council candidates are running either on the Democratic Party line or to the left of Democrats.

In the city’s 1st Ward, incumbent Phoebe Brown, running on Democratic and Working Family lines, will go up against Republican Zachary Winn for the ward’s two-year alderperson seat. Brown is a member of Ithaca’s “Solidarity Slate", a group of three Common Council candidates running on progressive platforms and endorsed by the Working Families Party.

First Ward residents will also pick a four-year term alderperson. Incumbent Cynthia Brock faces Solidarity Slate member Kayla Matos. Matos defeated Brock in the Democratic primary in June. Brock is now running as a third-party candidate on the Ithacans for Progress line.

Also running on the Ithacans for Progress line is Jason Houghton, a candidate for the two-year alderperson seat for the city’s 5th Ward. He’s up against Democratic and Working Families party nominee Clyde Lederman. Lederman beat out Houghton by only 10 votes for the Democratic nomination in a tight primary race in June, which prompted a recount.

Democratic nominee Margaret Fabrizio is running for the 5th Ward’s four-year-seat against Working Families and Ithacans for Progress candidate Michelle Song. Fabrizio narrowly defeated Song in the Democratic primary in June. But according to reporting from the Ithaca Voice, Song has not been actively campaigning since then.

And in the city’s 3rd Ward, Democrat Pierre Saint Perez is up against Pat Sewell for the two-year alderperson seat. Sewell began running as a third-party candidate on the Community Party line after the June primary election. Both Saint Perez and Sewell are newcomers to electoral politics.

Steuben County

The county legislature seat for District 2 in the city of Corning is being sought by two new candidates.

Democrat Joe Tobia is running against Republican Alison Hunt for the open seat vacated by Democrat Steve Maio, who decided not to run for reelection. Hunt is concurrently running for Steuben County Legislature and as the incumbent for the Eighth Ward on the Corning City Council.

Local referendums

In the towns of Addison and Wheeler, town proposition one asks voters to abolish the elected office of highway superintendent and approve an appointed position instead. If approved by voters, the appointment of the town highway superintendent would be effective starting Jan. 1, 2024.

In the town of Pulteney, town proposition one asks voters to approve an increase in the budget for the Pulteney Free Library by $3,450, for a total sum of $49,460, annually.

Chemung County

The elections to watch are mainly happening within the city of Elmira.

Elmira mayor

The mayoral race has two candidates seeking election. Democrat Jim Hassell is up against incumbent, Republican Dan Mandell. Mandell is looking to secure a third term as the city’s top official. This would be the first elected office for Hassell in Elmira.

Elmira City Council

The council has a full field of incumbents and challengers.

In the First District, incumbent Democrat Nick Grasso is challenged by Republican Patick Griffin and Elijah McGee on the "New Generation" line.

In the Second District, incumbent Democrat Corey Cooke faces Republican challenger, Charles Cerio.

Incumbent Republican Mark Franchi faces challenger, Democrat J. Gary Brinn in the Fourth District.

The Fifth District has all new candidates on the ballot because incumbent Republican Tory Kitching decided not to run for reelection, after he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and trespass stemming from an incident in February.

And the Sixth District puts incumbent Republican Nanette Moss up against two challengers—Craig Colwell on the "Free People" line and Kevin Sullivan on the "Action Party" line.

Ballot measures

Chemung County voters will also see local referendums on the ballot—term limits for some elected positions and funding for libraries.

County proposition one asks whether term limits of the Chemung County executive should be approved. This measure would limit the position to three, four-year consecutive terms—or twelve years in a row if elected each term consecutively.

County proposition two asks the same question for Chemung County legislators.

County proposition three seeks public authorization for the 2024 budget of the Chemung County Library District for $3.7 million.

Corrected: November 7, 2023 at 6:39 PM EST
A previous version of this article identified Laura Lewis as Ithaca's acting mayor. She is the mayor of Ithaca.