Pelham and Pelham Manor Elect Mayors and Trustees in Uncontested Elections

Residents of Pelham and Pelham Manor hit the polls on Tuesday to vote for their respective trustees and mayors in uncontested elections.

James O’Connor was elected to his first term as mayor of Pelham Manor after serving for more than 10 years in the roles of village attorney and trustee. In Pelham, Ed Hotchkiss will return to his post as mayor for a second term.

Geoff Lewis and Laura Morris held onto their trustee seats in Pelham and will be joined by newcomer, Suzan Marciona. Bertrand Sellier will continue his role as trustee in Pelham Manor and Raymond Vandenberg nabbed the other trustee seat, after working as the village attorney.

Some candidates said that an uncontested election could mean that residents are  satisfied with their current government.

“It was an uncontested election,” remarked O’Connor as the polls closed at 9 p.m. “I would like to think in large part because people are pleased with the job that’s being done and they would like to see it continue.”

Although residents might be satisfied, both mayors agree that a lot of critical issues still need to be tackled.

Hotchkiss noted that his impetus for running again was to finish the initiatives he’s just getting off the ground.

“There are several projects that we hadn’t quite finished, that I wanted to make sure are completed,” Hotchkiss noted.

At the top of Hotchkiss’ list is taking care of the perennial flooding in areas of North Pelham. The government has secured $1 million in grant money from both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the flooding remediation plan, but hasn’t gotten the money yet.

Another priority is bolstering the downtown area, by pursuing more housing and retail developments between Third Street and Lincoln Avenue.

O’Connor is just as keen on developing more retail opportunities in Pelham Manor.

“We’ve been focusing on commercial developments in our village,” O’Connor said. “We’ve had great success with BJ’s, Fairway and a whole host of stores. We’re hoping to increase that.”

O’Connor said he’ll also be focusing his efforts on increasing the commercial tax base and maintaining strict control of the budget, which will likely present itself as one the village’s major challenges.

“We have significant state mandates and significant employee costs,” O’Connor said. “And, we have a tax base that we are trying to grow on the commercial side, to lessen the burden on our taxpayers."

Budget constraints are also a serious concern in Pelham where, Hotchkiss said, the staff is overloaded with responsibility.

“What’s kind of remarkable is that the trustees are so involved,” Hotchkiss said. “Most are working on major projects, much more than is typical of someone who is elected on a village or town board.”

Both mayors remarked that taking on this public service role, in addition to having a demanding day job, is motivated by a want to contribute to the community.

“It’s a tradition of community service,” O’Connor said. “We concentrate on providing good government, excellent services and keeping Pelham Manor an excellent place to live.”