NORWICH – Though still unofficial, the biggest upset in Tuesday’s general election was in the City of Norwich’s Wards 4, 5 and 6 as Alderman Robert M. Jeffrey unseated nine-term Supervisor Linda E. Natoli, by a vote of 198 to 136.
Jeffrey, who has served on the Common Council for six years, did not run in the Republican Party primary, and thus took the independent platform of “Time for A Change.” But both candidates are members of the GOP.
Jeffrey thanked his constituents for supporting him and said he looked forward to working with Mayor Joseph P. Maiurano to represent the concerns of his fellow aldermen as a member of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors.
“I hope I can live up to the expectations of voters and look forward to representing the city at the county level. Linda has done a good job of representing the city for 18 years – she needs to be thanked for that,” he said.
The city’s charter mandates that Jeffrey will be replaced as alderman by appointment. The council anticipates appointing a candidate for the sixth ward this month.
When reached for comment on her defeat, Natoli said she was disappointed.
“I think there’s a lot of factors of why I was defeated. I know that it wasn’t because I was doing a bad job. People are just fed up with politics, and I was the only place in the city that someone could have a choice,” she said.
The second most surprising upset in Chenango County politics occurred in the Town of Otselic, where the eight-year incumbent and the political party he represented lost. Political newcomer Evan T. Williams, a Republican, unseated Democratic Supervisor David J. Messineo, 161 to 125.
“I’ve got a lot of anxious apprehension, but it’s good,” said Williams. “It’s going to be a lot of work, navigating county and local government. I have no plans at this point, got to start crawling before I walk.”
Jeffrey and Williams join five additional newcomers who will sit around the Chenango County Board of Supervisors table in January.
In Afton, Councilman John N. Lawrence took the helm from retiring longtime supervisor Robert B. Briggs, with 392 votes to his challenger April M. Leggett’s 187. Briggs was first elected supervisor back in 1988.
In thanking voters, Lawrence said the turnout showed “a great presence” in the Afton. “I think now we can move ahead in protecting the town like we wanted to do in the first place and getting the jobs and opportunities in place that we need to prosper,” he said, in a direct reference to monitoring the pending natural gas industry through a road use ordinance as well as taking advantage of the economic boost it promises.
In a strong show of support for safe natural gas drilling in Chenango County, none of the candidates who ran for government positions based on an anti-gas drilling stance won.
In Columbus, where first-term incumbent supervisor Pam Weidman ran and was elected to a seat on the town’s council instead, independent candidate Tom P. Grace earned 107 votes, beating two challengers: former Supervisor George G. Coates and newcomer Brandon R. Loomis. Grace could not be reached for comment.
Coventry voters this time overwhelmingly selected George L. Westcott for county supervisor. It was the second time he ran for that office..
