WURTSBORO – The results of the Village of Wurtsboro election this past Wednesday evening contained few surprises, with the incumbent team of Mayor Mickey Maher and Trustee Barbara Piper cruising to reelection. Though the results are yet to be certified by the Sullivan County Board of Elections, it appears that Maher received a supermajority of the votes cast for mayor, a total of 203 votes, or 79.61 percent; with the two independent candidates, Paul Champagne and former mayor Bob Whitehead, receiving 28 and 24 votes respectively. Piper, Maher's running mate, also did extremely well at the ballot box, winning 211 votes, or 86.12 percent of the votes cast. Wurtsboro Fire Commissioner Bob Hawkes received 34 votes, or 13.88 percent.

"I was very shocked," said Mayor Maher regarding the high percentage of the vote she and Piper received.

Maher admits that she was biting her nails a bit, thinking that the race would be much closer than it turned out to be.

"I was worried we weren't going to win the race," she said.

Maher said that she has had difficulty sleeping over the past two weeks, in anticipation of last Wednesday's contest.

Former mayor Bob Whitehead was conciliatory in defeat, stating that he wishes nothing but the best for the village and that he wishes Maher and Piper good luck in the next two years. However, he remains defiant with regard to what he feels is a system that rewards incumbents and keeps out those who are not members of one of the big political parties.

"I will fight 'til my last breath," Whitehead said. "I will always be out there saying what I have to say."

Whitehead disagrees with the concept of party endorsements on the local level and he will continue to be an activist for change in the village, he says.

Mayor Maher said that she knows that Whitehead will continue to "be our watchdog" and that his presence at town government meetings is welcome.

Paul Champagne was also gracious in defeat, saying that he felt that his opponents ran a good campaign.

"There was no mud-slinging," Champagne said.

With regard to his own campaign's efforts, Champagne said that he and his running mate, Bob Hawkes, worked hard. They spent two weekends canvassing door-to-door, and enjoyed getting out and meeting members of the community. Champagne says that he is giving strong consideration to running again in two years.

Mayor Maher said that Champagne had "some good ideas," and that she and the board of trustees looked forward to working with Champagne to see if parts of his platform could be adopted, with the construction of a skateboard park being, perhaps, the most challenging of these.

Trustee candidate Bob Hawkes, despite losing the vote, said that he was encouraged by the process.

"I'm very happy to see that the system still works," he said regarding the high level of participation. "There was a good turnout."

Hawkes also took the time to praise his opponents.

"I congratulate the winners," he said.

Mayor Maher and Trustee Barbara Piper will be sworn in for their new terms on April 1.

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