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Lansing had two elections this week.  In the Village of Lansing two trustee seats were up for grabs, and Mayor Donald Hartill was reelected.  But with a write-in campaign that saw 90 write-in votes, the unofficial count shows that Pat O'Rourke and Ronny Hardaway won the two Village Trustee seats.  The Lansing Community Library (LCL) results were clearer.  Incumbent trustees Matt Montague, Ron Ostman, and Ami Stallone were all reelected, and a tax levy increase was approved 187 to 23.

"We are continually amazed at how this library has thrived and grown," said Library Board of Trustees President Emily Franco.  "Today we are delighted to see the ongoing support from our community, because it means they find our services worthwhile,” noted Emily Franco, President of the Board of Trustees."

The Village results were unusual.  Most years the Community Party puts forth its candidates, who generally run uncontested.  The notable exception in recent years was the 2012 contest in which 'Voice Of The People' candidates Yasamin Miller and Brian Goodell opposed the incumbent Community Party candidates John O'Neill and Julia Ann Kilgore Baker.  The incumbents won.

This year was a different story.  It appears that incumbent Patricia O'Rourke decided to run for another term even though she didn't make it onto the ballot, the result being that three Community party members ran for the two available seats.

Trustee and Deputy Mayor Lynn Leopold decided not to run again this year.  With O'Rourke also absent from the ballot it appeared that both seats were up for grabs.  The Community Party put forth John Dennis and Hardaway, who ran uncontested on the ballot.  While O'Rourke was not on the official ballot, she posted a campaign statement and resumé on the Community Party Web site, saying she looks forward to continued board service.  Tuesday's unofficial results yielded 49 votes for John Dennis and 71 for Ronny Hardaway.  Wednesday afternoon Republican Elections Commissioner Elizabeth W. Cree said that unofficially 82 of the write-in votes for O'Rourke appeared valid, 5 needed their validity to be determined, and a couple appeared they may be void.

"We are counting tomorrow as we have 14 absentee ballots to open and 4 still not received," she said.

Hartill's reelection is assured.  He received 118 votes in Tuesday's election.  In his campaign statement he said his focus has been on keeping the Village on a solid financial footing and improving its infrastructure.

Hardaway's platform included providing for the general welfare of the Village’s citizens, businesses and government, manage the Village’s assets wisely and prudently, maintaining zoning laws and codes, and ensuring that the Village government runs efficiently.  Dennis ran on a platform of conserving open space, making the Village more 'elderly friendly', educating businesses and residents on making the Village more eco-friendly and exploring economies of scale that could reduce Village spending.

The Community Party's statement of purpose reads, "The Community Party is dedicated to bringing together residents of the Village of Lansing, New York, irrespective of national political affiliation, to maintain a livable place in which to reside and work, to preserve important open spaces, and to provide for orderly, controlled development. Open communication and a thrifty budget are top priorities."

While it appears that O'Rourke and Hardaway won the most votes, the official results may not be forthcoming for a week.

"We wait for seven days before we finalize the election," Cree said.  "If an absentee ballot is postmarked by the day before and received in 7 days we can still count it.  If it is a close election, and if the candidates would like legal representation, they can bring their attorneys to look at the absentees and the write-ins." 

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