February 12, 2010
by John Ehrlich
In an astonishing upset, Bob Castelli, the Republican college professor from Lewisboro, handily defeated Democratic Westchester County Legislator Pete Harckham of Katonah in a special election for the 89th Assembly District seat held until recently by Adam Bradley, to whom Castelli lost in 2004. The seat has been occupied by a Democrat for the last 17 years. Castelli garnered 55% of the vote to Harckham’s 45%. According to the Board of Elections’ still-unofficial tally of results, Castelli won with 6,732 votes to Harckham’s 5,430. “It’s a shot across the bow to people like Sheldon Silver and all the entrenched bosses,” said Castelli in his victory speech Tuesday night.
Going into Tuesday’s election, Democrat Peter Harckham was said to have the edge, since there are 10,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the 89th Assembly District. There were 88,674 registered voters in the district as of November 2009.
Turnout in special elections is typically low
Turnout in single-race special elections tend to be low, so phones were ringing off the hook on Tuesday as both candidates and all parties were dialing for voters. “We received two calls today before leaving for the polls,” said Mary Watson of Chappaqua. Another voter from Election District 1 said she didn’t know about the election until she received a call from a research company asking whom she intended to vote for, and received more calls from candidates and office holders throughout the day.
The candidates had just 35 days to secure their party nominations, prepare for the election, campaign and get the word out once the election was announced in January.
“These special elections ensure that all New Yorkers are represented in the New York State Assembly,” Governor David A. Paterson said when he issued the Special Election Proclamation on January 5, 2010, pursuant to Section 42 of the Public Officers Law. The proclamation ordered that elections for members of the Assembly be held in the 15th, 3rd, 24th and 89th Assembly Districts in parts of Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Westchester counties to fill vacancies created by Assemblymen Eddington, Walker and Weprin who, like Westchester Assemblyman Adam Bradley, left the State Assembly to pursue other opportunities.
Adam Bradley defeated Castelli in a 2004 race for the same seat. Bradley resigned the seat this fall after he was elected Mayor of White Plains. The elections were conducted in the manner prescribed by law for elections in New York with the costs absorbed by venues in which the elections were held.
In addition to New Castle, the 89th Assembly District includes the towns of Mount Kisco, North Castle, Bedford, Lewisboro and Pound Ridge, as well as parts of Harrison and White Plains.
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