Today is Election Day in Port Chester.
Registered voters can cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to decide who will be the village's next mayor and who will fill all six trustee seats on the Port Chester village Board of Trustees.
While perennial issues such as taxes and enforcement of local building and zoning codes are key issues in the 2013 campaign in Port Chester, clearly the hottest issue for residents and candidates has been the fate of the former United Hospital site just off Boston Post Road.
At the heart of the campaign has been debate over which candidates would do the best job for Port Chester in working with Starwood Capitol Group, owner of the former hospital site, in redeveloping the property.
Residents throughout the village differ on what should should happen to the former hospital site, with some urging the return of a medical facility to other suggesting a hotel, convention center or other regional businesses. The latest proposal by Starwood called for 820 residential units on the site - which raised many concerns that such a development would bring many more families with children to Port Chester and worsen crowding at local public schools.
From the current Board of Trustees, six of the seven membrers are seeking re-election. Trustee John Branca is not running.
In the race for mayor, incumbent Democrat Dennis Pilla is being challenged by Republican Neil Pagano, who is the current chairman of the Port Chester Industrial Development Agency.
Although today is Election Day, Port Chester residents have been able to cast their ballots through advance voting that opened last Tuesday and ran until Saturday. The tallies from the advance voting will be added to today's tally to determine the winners.
In the election, Port Chester has a cumulative voting system for the trustees race, meaning voters can cast their six ballots any way they want. For example, voters can cast all six ballots for one trustee candidate, or they can spread those votes out for several candidates.
The mayor's race, however, does not involved with the cumulative voting - residents can cast just one vote in the race for mayor.
Running for trustee seats are:
Gregory Adams, D
Incumbent Daniel Brakewood, D
Gene Ceccarelli, Pride in Port Chester party
Incumbent Bart Didden, C, I
Rico Dos Anos, C
Frank Ferrara, R
Incumbent Joseph Kenner, R
Incumbent Luis Marino, D
John Reavis, Coalition
Incumbent Saverio Terenzi, R, C, I
Running for mayor are:
Dennis Pilla, D
Neil Pagano, R, C, I
Port Chester Village Clerk Janusz R. Richards said there is one change in the polling places for this election. He said residents of District 16 in Port Chester will be voting at Antioch Christian Church, 25 King St., instead of at the Don Bosco Center as they did in the November 2012 elections.
If you are not sure yet who to vote for, the League of Women Voters conducted candidates forums for mayor and the trustee seats, with both forums video recorded. Click here to watch the videos of those forums.
If you are not sure where you are supposed to vote, an online directory created by the New York State Board of Elections can be used to look up your polling place. Click here for that directory.
Here are the polling places in Port Chester (which is part of the Town of Rye):
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Fifth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Don Bosco Center, 22 Don Bosco Place, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Sixth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Don Bosco Center, 22 Don Bosco Place, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Seventh Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Don Bosco Center, 22 Don Bosco Place, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Eighth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the John F. Kennedy School, 40 Olivia Street, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Ninth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the John F. Kennedy School, 40 Olivia Street, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Tenth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Corpus Christi School, 135 South Regent Street, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Eleventh Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Carver Center, 400 Westchester Avenue, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Twelfth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Park Avenue School, 75 Park Avenue, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Thirteenth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the St. George’s Orthodox Church, 356 Irving Avenue, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Fourteenth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the St. George’s Orthodox Church, 356 Irving Avenue, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Fifteenth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the St. George’s Orthodox Church, 356 Irving Avenue, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Sixteenth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Antioch Christian Church (known as the Summerfield United Methodist Church), 225 King Street, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Seventeenth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Brooksville Gardens Senior Citizens Apts., 169 Terrace Avenue, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Eighteenth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Edison School, 113 Rectory Street, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Nineteenth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the Park Avenue School, 75 Park Avenue, in said Village.
The Polling Place for the qualified voters of Port Chester who reside within the limits of the Twenty-Fifth Election District of the Town of Rye shall be in the King Street School 697 King Street, in said Village.
