The results of the March 18 Village of Tannersville election remain undecided as absentee ballots will determine the outcome of a closely contested race. Voter turnout was significant, with 230 registered voters casting ballots, including 61 absentee votes already counted. However, the final results will not be known until all outstanding absentee ballots are tallied by the Greene County Board of Elections.
In an unexpected development, Village Trustee Gregory Thorpe submitted his resignation on March 19, one day after the election. Thorpe declined to comment on his decision, leaving the reason for his departure unknown. A Republican, Thorpe was appointed to the Village Board by Mayor David Schneider in July 2023 to replace former Trustee John Gallagher. In March 2024, he successfully ran for trustee with cross-endorsements from the Democratic and Republican parties. His resignation leaves a vacancy on the board, and Schneider will be responsible for appointing a replacement.
“I am going to wait until after the election results,” Schneider stated when asked about his selection for the open trustee seat.
The mayoral race remains extremely close. Current Deputy Mayor David Kashman, cross-endorsed by Republicans and Democrats, received 111 votes. His opponent, former Mayor Dr. Lee McGunnigle, running as an independent on the “Friends of Tannersville” ticket, garnered 118 votes. The tight margin underscores the significance of every vote.
McGunnigle, who served as village mayor for more than two decades, lost the position to Schneider in 2023 by a single vote. That election was marred by absentee ballot issues, prompting village officials to hire a poll watcher for future elections. The poll watcher, who monitors voting procedures, was not permitted to speak with voters or reporters. Before attempting to obtain his contact information, I was informed by the Board of Elections that as long as no political discussions were involved, I could get his phone number. The poll watcher later agreed to provide his phone number after 9 p.m., but in the flurry of reviewing results at Village Hall, I was unable to follow up.
The atmosphere at Village Hall on election night was tense yet electric as candidates and residents crowded around a single sheet of paper taped to the door listing the preliminary results.
A total of 230 votes were also cast in the trustee race. Among the trustee candidates, Rebecca Fitting, running as an independent under “The Village Party,” received the highest number of votes at 133.
“This has been an exciting election with high turnout from residents who had multiple options on the ballot,” Fitting said. “We’re all going to be holding our breath while we wait for the absentee ballots to come in and be counted so that we can know the official results and finally move forward.”
Unofficial results showed 52 undervotes and two overvotes. According to Ballotpedia, an undervote occurs when a voter selects fewer choices than allowed in an election or does not vote in a single-choice race. For example, if a voter is allowed to choose one presidential candidate but leaves the selection blank, or if they cast only two votes in a race permitting three, they have undervoted. Voters have the right to undervote if they wish. Unlike an overvote, an undervote does not result in a canceled or disqualified ballot.
Democratic candidate Gil Adler, who received 88 votes, praised the strong voter turnout.
“This speaks volumes about the character of the residents looking to actively participate,” Adler said. However, he acknowledged the uncertainty of the situation. “Mathematically, any candidate can still win the election.”
Kody Leach, cross-endorsed by Republicans and Democrats, received 115 votes, while Republican candidate Stephen Tuomey secured 69 votes.
Despite trailing in the count, Tuomey remained optimistic.
“Just to update you, I did lose, but there is still a high number of absentees to be counted in the next week. Thank you to all that voted for me. Just know I will still be in the gallery pushing,” he wrote on social media.
According to the Greene County Board of Elections, 145 absentee ballots were issued for the election, and as of March 18, 114 had been received. Sixty-one were included in the initial unofficial results, while 48 remain uncounted. An additional 31 ballots had not yet arrived by election day but will be counted if postmarked by March 18 and received by the Board of Elections by March 25.
Five absentee ballots require a “cure” due to signature mismatches, missing affirmation envelopes, or other defects. Voters with defective ballots have the opportunity to correct them within a designated period. There is also one affidavit ballot to be counted. Altogether, these 84 outstanding ballots will determine the election’s final outcome.
The final results will be posted on the Greene County Board of Elections website on Tuesday, March 25.
Max Oppen is a contributing journalist. Send correspondence to reporting@theoverlooknews.com.
