After absentee votes tallied, Tuckahoe Democrats sweep GOP in village election

Tuckahoe Democrats’ clean sweep of election wins was completed Wednesday when Nicole Engelbert beat out GOP incumbent Danny Lang for a seat on the village board.

Engelbert and Lang had been tied with 731 votes each following last Tuesday’s village election, but absentee ballots counted Wednesday gave the Democrat and first-time candidate the edge. Engelbert topped Lang 810-791, according to the Westchester Board of Elections. Cara Kronen, a Democrat and sitting trustee, was the top vote-getter with 841 votes.

With Engelbert and Kronen coming out victorious, the board of trustees won’t have a single Republican on it once the new term for village officials begins in April. The board, led by Democratic Mayor Omayra Andino, will have four Democrats and one independent.

The rapid loss of GOP influence is a stark shift after Republicans held the majority just a couple years ago. The village has just over 7,000 residents.

Andino said last Tuesday voters are gravitating toward Democrats because they are seeing results from them.

"We are focused on getting the roads paved, getting the garbage picked up, making sure our police is adequately funded and they have the resources that they need to do their work," she said. "We are keeping taxes down and really holding the line on taxes by bringing in new revenue streams."

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Last Tuesday's village elections throughout Westchester was rather muted. In Port Chester, two incumbents who opted to run, Democrat Joan Grangenois-Thomas and Republican Bart Didden, were reelected. The seven-person board will have a 4-3 advantage for Democrats led by Mayor Luis Marino.

In Buchanan, Mayor Theresa Knickerbocker fended off a challenge by Trustee Sean Murray, but two board incumbents, Richard Funchion and Nicholas Zachary lost their seats to challengers Steven Laker and Daniel Stewart.

David Propper covers Westchester County. Reach him at dpropper@lohud.com and follow him on Twitter: dg_props. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Tuckahoe Dems sweep GOP in village election after absentees tallied