School Budgets Approved in Northern Westchester

By the time the polls closed on Tuesday night, the voters in all seven of the northern Westchester school districts passed their respective budgets. In addition the capital projects and bus propositions were approved in Lakeland, Peekskill and Yorktown. However, the incumbent school board members in Somers were cast aside for two new faces.

The closest finish was in Ossining where voters approved the $103.5 M budget 52 percent to 48 percent. The other budgets passed with an overwhelming majority. Residents in the Croton-Harmon district approved the $43.8 M budget by an overwhelming 70 percent.

Harvey Kriedberg and Linda Graffitti garnered more votes than incumbents Lucia Vece and Cheryl Smith to win the two vacant seats on the Somers Board of Ed.  Then in Ossining which had four new challengers competing for three seats the winners were Graig Galef, Frank Schnecker and Steve Wardwell. All other school board races in the area were uncontested.

The final results (winners in bold):

CROTON HARMON

$43.8 Million Budget

Yes         638         70%

No          277         30%

School Board Election

Lisa Wolland      692

Karen Zevin        640

Neal Haber         637

HENDRICK HUDSON

$69.8 Million Budget

Yes         854         60%

No          563         40%

School Board Election

Barbara Pettersen           945

Charles Thompson          875

LAKELAND

$157.2 Million Budget

Yes         1,147     65%

No          624         35%

Local propositions on the ballot

Bus: Borrow $340,000 to purchase new school buses as part of ongoing fleet replacement.

Yes: 1095

No: 671

School Board Election

Scott Carey         1383

Mike Cherchia  1379

Glen Malia         1353

OSSINING

$103.5 Million Budget

Yes         1,761     52%

No          1,625     48%

School Board Election

Graig Galef                        2066

Frank Schnecker              1887

Steve Wardwell              1849

Michael Aurora                1270

PEEKSKILL

$72 Million Budget

Yes         327         57%

No          250         43%

Local propositions on the ballot

Projects: Capital projects referendum.

Yes: 307

No: 264

School Board Election

Douglas Glickert              435

Joseph Urbanowicz        431

SOMERS

$80.4 Million Budget

Yes         1,438     57%

No          1,085     43%

Cheryl Smith

Harvey Kriedberg

Lucia Vece

Linda Graffitti

YORKTOWN

$91.1 Million Budget

Yes         1,037     65%

No          562         35%

Local propositions on the ballot

Turf: Spend $1.2 million approved under a previous bond measure to build an artificial turf field at Yorktown High School.

Yes: 844

No: 700

School Board Election

Michael Magnani            1170

Anthony D’Alessandro  1168