CITY OF TONAWANDA: Second ward race on hold

Local News

November 4, 2009

By Daniel Pye<br><a href="mailto:pyed@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Dan</a> The Tonawanda News Wed Nov 04, 2009, 11:27 PM EST

Residents of the City of Tonawanda’s second ward will have to wait more than a week to find out who will be representing them next year.

Incumbent Democrat Gary Waterhouse currently has 327 votes, narrowly trailing Republican challenger Blake Boyle’s 329 votes. Republican Party Chairwoman Christine Pilozzi said voters will have to wait two weeks for the ward’s 28 absentee ballots to be counted to decide the contest.

Democratic Chairwoman Gayle Syposs agreed with that estimation and pointed out a second race where complications are still being worked out. The Erie County Board of Elections Web site shows Democratic Councilwoman Colleen Perkins as the winner in the first ward, contrary to information obtained by both camps Tuesday night. Upon further review, Syposs said it came out that 120 of Gilbert’s votes didn’t make it into the totals on the site.

Pilozzi said in talking to Republican Erie County Elections Commissioner Ralph Mohr she was told a breakdown in communication was to blame, possibly due to a lack of familiarity with reading results from new voting machines.

“When they called in the numbers, they accidentally missed some districts or gave the wrong numbers, because they didn’t have the right number of people who voted,” Pilozzi said.

Syposs said that situation will likely be resolved next week, when the machines are reopened for examination. In looking at the number of votes reported and the amount of absentee ballots in that ward, Syposs didn’t hold out much hope for overturning Gilbert’s victory. She also said the other results looked appropriate.

“I don’t see any other place where there are major discrepancies,” Syposs said.

That includes the mayor’s race, in which Republican Mayor Ron Pilozzi held off Democratic challenger Rick Davis.

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.

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