Southeast-Brewster Election Guide, 2012

As we look ahead to November’s elections, Southeast-Brewster Patch is devoted to bringing you the information you need about every race, issue and candidate in town.

Here are a handful that residents are already talking about:

Putnam County Legislature

Seats for both Districts 6 and 7—which cover a large portion of Southeast, and portions of the Carmel and Southeast, respectively—on the body are open.

 (R), a former councilman for Southeast, took office for District 6 in Jan. 2012, , who held the position for several terms. He is running against , a Southeast resident who ran for the Town Board in 2011 but lost.  

After Longtime Legislator Dan Birmingham is . Paul Morini (D), a Brewster resident who grew up in Mahopac, is running for the seat, as are Joseph Castellano (R, I, C), of Southeast, and Norman Marino, a Republican Carmel resident who formerly served on his respective town board. The two will face off for the Republican line in the Sept. 13 primary.

Castellano's name also appears as an option for the Independence line, according to the list of 2012 primary candidates on the Putnam Board of Elections website.

Congressional Districts

Despite losing some of her territory to redistricting,  (R — NY 19) hopes to keep her role in Congress. The incumbent Republican, who lives in Bedford, will seek re-election to her new Congressional district, now known as the 18th, which includes all of Bedford and the entirety of Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, North Salem and Somers. It also includes part of Yorktown and North Castle, all of Putnam County, southern Dutchess County and all of Orange County. Her challengers include , a physician and Cortlandt town councilman. Also currently on the Democratic ballot for the June 26 primary are the following candidates: Sean Patrick Maloney, Duane Jackson, Matthew Alexander and Thomas Wilson.

Presidential Race

As the race for the White House heats up and commandeers headlines, Patch will focus on how the nation election affects local residents. While President Barack Obama faces off with his Republican challenger, we'll keep communities engaged with stories and polls, . We'll also be tracking the Republican primaries, which come to a close June 26.

State Assembly District

After , freshman Assemblyman Steve Katz, (R, I — Yorktown) is seeking re-election on the  (formerly the 99th District). He is being challenged by fellow Republican Dario Gristina, of Putnam Valley. Andrew Falk, of Patterson, is running as the Democratic candidate. The  includes Yorktown, Somers, Patterson, Southeast, Carmel and Putnam Valley. Under the new map, the district will drop North Salem and Pawling, adding Putnam Valley.

State Senate Districts

The New York State Senate has also seen some lines redrawn this year.  (R, C — Patterson) of the 40th State Senate District is running for a second term. 

Democratic candidate and Croton-on-Hudson resident  is set to challenge Ball in this year's election.

U.S. Senator Race

Incumbent U.S. Senator  will face off against the GOP pick. That primary is June 26; Bob Turner, the public servant who grabbed Anthony Wiener's seat and then had it redistricted out from under him, is already running against Gillibrand.

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