Hole wins highway race

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Republicans continue to dominate Lysander town government. According to unofficial election night results, town board incumbents Bob Geraci and Roman Diamond held onto their seats, and newcomer Jerry Hole has been elected highway superintendent.

“I’m just proud of the work that the team did to get us there and certainly hope that our voters are going to be proud of us in four years,” said Brian Bixby, chair of the Lysander Republican Committee. “I’m really, really pleased. I think our voters are going to be especially pleased with regard to our highway situation.”

As of election night, Geraci earned 2,701 votes, and Diamond nabbed second place with 2,460 votes. Democratic challengers Kevin Rode and Gail Tosh received 2,330 and 1,991 respectively.

The town board race was relatively close, which Geraci said was “sobering” for himself and fellow Republican incumbent Diamond, but added, “That’s what democracy’s all about.”

“Nobody ran away with it. This was really anybody’s game,” said Tosh, noting that she trailed winner Geraci’s tally by only 7.48 percentage points.

Geraci also commended his opponents’ efforts.

“They ran a hard race — good for them, and it’s good for the community,” he said.

Rode, who came in third with 2,330 votes, said that while he and Tosh were not elected to the town board, the close race showed that voters are engaged. He commended Tosh for commanding nearly 21 percent of the vote, even though she has only been an active voice in Lysander town government for about eight months.

“I wish the incumbents good luck in the next four years and hopefully they’ll be looking out for the taxpayers,” Rode added.

As for Tosh, Lysander has not seen the last of the rookie candidate.

“I’m pretty proud of what we did. It was a learning experience for me, too; it’s not going to be the end of it for sure,” Tosh said. “I was able to get out there and quote-unquote ‘hang with the big boys.'”

Tosh thanked her supporters and those who “came out of the woodwork” to vote. “A lot of people talked to me about having a progressive candidate to vote for in Lysander,” she added.

According to the Lysander Democratic Committee, 32.6 percent of registered voters in the town turned out for this year’s election. LDC Chair Victoria Shires said it was the largest turnout since 1999, the earliest year for which she could find data. The Onondaga County Board of Elections estimated that 37 percent of registered voters in the county made it to the polls.

Diamond thanked his constituents for coming out to the polls.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve,” Diamond said of retaining his seat. “To residents that may have looked to another candidate, I hope that over the next four years I can earn their support and earn trust. To the residents that did support me, I want to thank you and continue to support you.”

Geraci said he intends to “stay positive and stay focused” as the town board wraps up its budget discussions and heads toward the new year.

“I’m obviously very grateful — and I mean that sincerely — to the town of Lysander,” he said. “There’s a lot of work ahead of us.”

Hole ousts Dinsmore for highway seat

Jerry Hole, a Republican, bested incumbent Gene Dinsmore by a margin of 2,549 votes to 2,271 votes. Dinsmore, a Republican, ran on the Democratic line.

(Editor’s note: We incorrectly reported that Jerry Hole is a Lysander Highway Department employee; he is a farmer and a retired Syracuse city firefighter. We regret the error.)

“I believe I’ve done a very credible job for five years, and if Jerry thinks he can do better, God bless him,” Dinsmore said.

In September, Dinsmore accused the Lysander Republican Committee of “staging an ambush” at its nomination meeting, so he opted to run on the Democratic line instead of fighting for the GOP line with a primary. Dinsmore has had a tumultuous relationship with the town board this year, with tensions over the sale of millings and other highway department issues.

“I’m really proud of the campaign that I put on,” Dinsmore said of his loss. “I didn’t point fingers or call names. … There were others that were trying to misrepresent me. I didn’t get into that. I just represented the record I had and I’m really proud of it.”

As for what’s next for him, Dinsmore said he is “not one to dwell on things” and is optimistic that “things will continue to work out for me one way or another.” He said he is still the highway superintendent and will work on a plan for his future between now and New Year’s.

“The town has been there since 1794 — long before I was ever thought of — so I’m sure the town will last even after I’m gone,” he said.

Other races

In addition to the town board and highway superintendent races, the following offices were up for election in Lysander:

• Town justice: Republican incumbent Michael Bryant received 54.82 percent of the vote (2,618 votes), and Democratic challenger Timothy McMahon received 45.16 percent (2,157 votes).
• Town clerk: Dina Falcone, the Republican incumbent, retained her seat with 3,912 votes. Falcone ran unopposed.
• Onondaga County Legislature: First District Legislator Brian May, who ran unopposed, returns to his seat with 4,375 votes. The Republican first joined the legislature in 2011. The First District includes the town of Lysander and the western portion of the town of Clay.