By Dan Hust
SULLIVAN COUNTY — Though still unofficial, the results from this week’s counting of absentee ballots appear to have settled the contested races in the Monticello and Liberty village elections.
According to the Sullivan County Board of Elections’ figures, Monticello Mayor Gordon Jenkins will stay in that position for four more years, thanks to 522 voters.
Challenger Victor Marinello, a soon-to-be-former trustee of the village board, earned 298 votes, followed by David Rosenberg with 275 votes.
At the trustee level, incumbent Carmen Rue was returned to another four years in office by 514 Monticello voters.
She’ll be joined on the board by Larissa Bennett, who will take over from Marinello thanks to 491 votes.
Trustee candidates Shannon Jackson Daniel and Charlie Sabatino had strong showings, with 476 and 394 votes apiece, but like fifth candidate Morton Turick (who gained just 69 votes), their totals aren’t enough to secure a seat.
In Liberty, incumbent trustees Luis Alvarez and Joan Stoddard earned 158 and 148 votes, respectively, leaving no seat open for challenger Matthew DeFrank, who nevertheless came close with 133 votes.