MONTICELLO, NY — Democrats did well across the nation on election day, and Sullivan County was no exception. All but one Republican legislative seat flipped to the Dems.

District 9 is still too close to call. But the new legislature will have a Democratic majority.

The highest turnout was in District 1, where challenger Matt McPhillips leads Robert Doherty, the current legislative chair, 1504-932.

McPhillips’ mother was a poll watcher in Highland. Right after the numbers from the election site were read in her son’s favor, she told the River Reporter, “I’m excited for him and I think people made an excellent choice. He’ll be a great advocate for Sullivan County. He’ll do a good job.”

Doherty was blamed by his own party for not only his own but other GOP losses as well. “I was asked this year to come back because of the leadership we had on the county level as far as the legislature,” Greg Goldstein, head of the county GOP, said on local radio station WJFF, “and it was to remove or really to take Mr. Doherty because he was not cooperating and just not a solid leader. Unfortunately some of the people that followed him got taken out... in the wave also.”

This election was a referendum on the ruling majority. Doherty and Republican legislators have received a litany of criticism over the attempted privatization of the adult care center, the slow release of opioid funds, a child’s overdose death and the lawsuit between Doherty and legislator Luis Alvarez settled only last month in Alvarez’s favor.

Redistricting not ‘according to plan’

This was also the first election since redistricting. The current Republican majority legislature accepted the new district lines despite pushback from Democratic legislators and Republican Joe Perrello.

The Town of Thompson went from having two districts to five after redistricting. “You know there are little fingers that stretch through the woods and take preference to the legislators that draw the lines,” said town supervisor Bill Reiber.

Democratic victories happened despite redistricting that benefited the Republican majority, Reiber noted. “Trust the populace; they’re smart,” he said, adding that the Republicans “don’t get it.”

“Redistricting for the majority cabal in the legislature didn’t work for them,” said Reiber. “It didn’t go according to plan, but we have to live with that now for 10 years because they were selfish and not really doing that for the people that have to pay taxes in this county.”

The District 9 candidates are currently separated by only five votes. The winner will likely be determined by outstanding absentee ballots and affidavits. Depending on the result, the next legislature will stand either at a 6-3 or a 5-4 Democratic majority.

Sullivan County will be looking to the new legislature to tackle improvements to the adult care center, the ongoing opioid epidemic and the low health ranking of the county, which comes in 60th out of New York’s 62 counties.

The current legislature has largely voted along party lines, with some exceptions from Perrello. With a new party majority and new group of legislators, it will be interesting to see how party allegiance operates. 

Vote tallies

County Legislator 1st District (vote for 1)

Matt McPhillips (D) 1,504

Robert A. Doherty (R) 942

County Legislator 2nd District (vote for 1)

Nadia Rajsz (D) 676

Joanne Jasper (R) 385

County Legislator 3rd District (vote for 1)

Brian A. McPhillips (D) 1,036

Michael Brooks (R) 851

County Legislator 4th District (vote for 1)

Maryallison Farley (D) 549

Nicholas M. Salomone, Jr. (R) 639

County Legislator 5th District (vote for 1)

Cat Scott (D) 1,337

George E. Conklin, III (R) 1,057

County Legislator 6th District (vote for 1)

Luis Alvarez (D) 608

County Legislator 7th District (vote for 1)

Joseph B. Perrello, Sr. (D)(R) 939

County Legislator 8th District (vote for 1)

Justin Picciotti (D) 613

Amanda R.B. Ward (R) 682

County Legislator 9th District (vote for 1)

George Nikolados (D)(Sullivan United) 750

Terry L. Blosser-Bernardo (R) 745