WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - One newcomer is in, one incumbent is staying, and one Watertown city council race is still up in the air.
Surrounded by supporters, Lisa Ruggiero secured her second four-year term on Watertown city council Tuesday night.
The incumbent received 35 percent of the vote, with 100 percent of districts reporting.
“I want to thank all the voters for getting out to vote today and I appreciate the fact that they supported me,” Ruggiero said.
Joining her on the council is Patrick Hickey. He will take on a two-year term.
Another four-year term was up for grabs. Cliff Olney had a lead over Michelle Capone by 93 votes as of Tuesday night, but 495 early and absentee ballots still need to be tallied.
“I think we’re cautiously optimistic about what the results are going to be,” Olney said. “At this time, I want to thank everybody that went out and voted.”
“I’m still hopeful,” Capone said. “The voters will have their say.”
Amy Horton, who ran against Hickey, says she’s disappointed by the results and challenges the winners to work hard for the city.
“It wasn’t the results I was hoping for, but I’m really proud of how hard I worked this campaign,” Horton said. “I don’t think anyone worked harder than I did. I hope my opponent will work just as hard for our city as I did throughout this entire campaign.”
Top priorities for Ruggiero, Olney, and Hickey include improving transparency, working with the firefighters union, and finding sources of revenue.
“Certainly, the people will see a complete transformation in what it is and how it is the government responds to them,” Olney said.
“I think we need to reestablish a communication between the fire department and the city and get a win-win situation going,” Hickey said.
“I’d really like to see more sources of revenue for the city, such as solar farms,” Ruggiero said.
The winners will be sworn in at the beginning of next year.
https://www.wwnytv.com/2021/11/03/watertown-city-council-ruggiero-hickey-unofficially-win-3rd-seat-too-close-call/