NORWICH – It’s been a long nine months in Chenango County, but one of the most hotly-contested political races in memory is over – Frank Revoir Jr. will assume the post of County, Surrogate and Family Court Judge in January.

By the Chenango County Board of Elections count, 17,245 residents turned out in Tuesday’s general election to choose between Revoir and opponent Diane DiStefano for the 10-year bench, being vacated next year by the retirement of longtime Judge W. Howard Sullivan. Running on the Republican, Conservative and Independence tickets, Revoir captured 10,521 of those votes – a 61 percent majority. DiStefano, who ran on the Democratic and Working Families party lines, earned 38 percent of the tally, with 6,565 votes. One hundred and fifty-nine voters chose the write-in option. Absentee votes have yet to be officially recorded.

“I’d like to send out a huge thank you to the voters of Chenango County,” Revoir said during a campaign party celebrating his victory at Park Place Restaurant last night. “I am truly humbled by this show of support and don’t take that for granted for one minute. I’m going to do everything in my power to live up to those expectations,” he said.

The contest for the judicial seat began last March, when Revoir became the first candidate to throw his hat into the ring. Just a few days later, District Attorney Joseph McBride announced his candidacy, setting up a contest between the two Republicans in a September primary. When the Chenango County Republican Committee immediately threw its support behind McBride, Revoir and his campaign team balked at the early endorsement, and rode that sentiment to a victory over McBride on three different party lines in September, knocking the D.A. out of the race.

DiStefano, a local attorney with the Vitanza, DiStefano & Dean law firm, entered the race in June, with the endorsement of the Democrat and Working Families parties. Her name was on the ballot in the September primary on the Independence ticket alone, a slot she lost to Revoir.

With McBride out after September’s heated primary, the contest became a two-horse race between Revoir, an attorney in the local Smith & Revoir practice, and DiStefano.