Idoni Staves Off Williams in Democratic Primary for County Clerk
Westchester County Clerk Timothy Idoni held off challenger and Yonkers Councilwoman Shanae Williams in the Democratic primary that will enable him to serve a fifth term in the seat.
After the Board of Elections finished counting about 3,400 absentee ballots, Idoni was declared the winner late Friday afternoon, expanding his 330-vote lead to win, 17,494-16,605.
“I am humbled, grateful and proud of the support from my fellow Democrats,” Idoni said in a statement Friday night. “My entire career has been based around government, from being a city manager to my serving as mayor and now as County Clerk, I have always done my best to help the people I am tasked to represent. Thank you for your confidence.”
Idoni, 66, added 2,023 votes to his total from the absentee ballots while Williams picked up 1,464. He campaigned as the steady, experienced hand in the race, having phased in the groundbreaking use of technology and digital records during his tenure as county clerk which began in 2006.
Before that he served five years as Ardsley village manager and 12 years as New Rochelle mayor just prior to his run as county clerk.
After the election on primary day, Williams, 32, had thanked her supporters and was proud for running an honest and independent campaign. She had proposed changes to how the county clerk’s office operates, including greater outreach to the immigrant and underserved communities to inform residents how the office’s services can help them.
Williams said her campaign “did a whole lot across this county with very little.”
“Regardless of the outcome, I am so proud of what we have accomplished throughout this campaign,” Williams said in a Facebook post. “I am proud of my team (and grateful for each of you and all the new friends I made along the way) and I am proud of the work WE did.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
