By Matt Youngfrau
MONTICELLO — November 18, 2003 – It’s official: the Democrats have regained control of the Sullivan County Legislature.
That was confirmed when all the absentee and affidavit ballots in Legislative District 9 were counted late Thursday afternoon.
Going in, incumbent Republican, Jim Carnell Jr. trailed his Democratic challenger, Sam Wohl, by 32 votes.
Neither man stuck around long for the results.
Carnell had committee meetings and business appointments to tend to.
Wohl remained close by but chose not to sit in Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Fran Thalmann’s office while the ballots were counted.
In the end, Wohl had 1,164 votes to Carnell’s 1,089 votes.
“I am very happy,” Wohl commented. “We had a party platform, and I will stick to it. I said I would research the landfill and gambling issues, and I promise to do it.”
The Democrats now have a 5-4 margin over the Republicans. The Democrats are District 1’s Chris Cunningham (likely the next chair of the Legislature), District 2’s Kathleen LaBuda, District 4’s Jonathan Rouis, Wohl, and District 8 Legislator Ron Hiatt.
The Republicans are District 3’s Greg Goldstein, District 5’s Rodney Gaebel, District 6’s Jodi Goodman, and District 7’s Leni Binder.
The new terms start January 1.