The Gallo Restoration is reality.
Kingston voters Tuesday swept Shayne Gallo into the mayoral office once held by his late brother T.R. by a wide margin over Republican challenger Ron Polacco. On the Common Council, meanwhile, Republicans maintained their two-member minority after newcomer Nate Horowitz knocked off a veteran incumbent in Ward 3 and registered Republican Deborah Brown, running without a major party line, bested the Democratic candidate in her second run for the Ward 9 seat.
Gallo’s victory celebration upstairs at Frank Guido’s Little Italy in Midtown was packed with well-wishers from across the political spectrum. The revelers included much of the same Kingston Democratic establishment who had rallied behind Gallo’s opponent, Ward 9 Alderman Hayes Clement, in a hard-fought primary battle. The mood was jubilant, even as Gallo waited downstairs with a small group of supporters and his mother, Nancy, waiting for the final numbers to come in before claiming victory. When they came in, the numbers justified the victory party’s early start. Gallo took 3,151 votes to Polacco’s 1,762. Conservative Party candidate Richard Cahill Jr., who remained in the race after losing the Republican primary, got 519 votes while Red Dog Party candidate Steve Ladin received 165 votes.
In his brief comments, Gallo thanked his volunteers, the Working Families Party (which provided critical support during the primary campaign) and the Kingston Democratic Committee — in that order.
On the Common Council, newcomers will fill six of nine seats and Democrats will hold their 7-2 majority. One of the few upsets of the night came in Ward 3, where 27-year-old Nate Horowitz, running on the Independence and Conservative lines, beat incumbent Democrat Charlie Landi, who has served all but four of the past 24 years on the Common Council. Horowitz took the seat by a vote of 467 to 356. Brown, who was bounced off the Republican line following a petition challenge, ran on the Conservative and New Beginnings party lines instead and managed to beat Democratic candidate John Simek 359-277.
All results are unofficial, pending certification by the county board of elections.
Here are the breakdowns of the other ward races:
(Photo: Mayor-elect Shayne Gallo, right, accepts congratulations Tuesday night from re-elected Ward 2 Alderman Tom Hoffay.)