Bedford Katonah Voters Speak Out on Election Day

Update 4 p.m.

Polling inspectors at the Bedford Village site at Rippowam Cisqua School said they were encouraged by the numbers of voters they'd seen so far, but still only expected about a third of registered voters to show up at the polls.

Out of 1,100 possible voters at the polling site, about 150 showed up by 2 p.m. A few voters had arrived only to find out they were at the wrong place, said John Baumgartener, the polling inspector who used a handheld device called ASKEd, loaded with statewide voter registrations. Baumgartener also used it when lines grew long, to look up voters and direct them to the correct table according to district.

Craig Pillon, 58, an architect and Katonah resident, said he voted for the incumbents across the board because he was generally satisfied with their performance. "I hear the candidates talking about cutting, cutting, cutting—but the trick is balancing that with services. It would be nice to see leaner government, but I don't see it happening." Pillon said he was impressed with Pete Harckham's record as county legislator, especially during the recent power outages.

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Update 12:30 p.m.

Sample ballots failed to make it from a county warehouse to Bedford's polling locations, said Lisbeth "Boo" Fumagalli, who had to deliver them to all 18 sites this morning. "It's a nice tool for people who want to review the candidates to ensure they don't make a mistake," she said.

Fumagalli also said some poll booths didn't get light attachments as they were supposed to, making it difficult for voters to see the ballot. There were no major snafus with the machines yet today but she said many would like to see a return to the old machines.

She was encouraged by the numbers she was seeing at various locations but because the highest office being voted upon was at the county level, she expected less than half of voters to turnout.

Update 11 a.m. - Voter Turnout Good for an Off Year

By 9 a.m. Carol Martin, elections inspector at the Katonah Village Library, said less than 20 locals had voted. She expected about half of the 600 or so voters in the two districts located at the polling location to show up this year.

"I've been doing this a long time, and during a presidential election we typically see 75 percent participation," she said. "The primary draws about a third of voters and we will see slightly more than that today."

Patch caught up with a small group of locals gathered in Bedford Hills at the corner of Babbit Road and Adams Street, coffees in hand. When asked what issues were important in this election, Genovesi Joseph, 79, said the issues never change.

"Politicians always say they're going to cut spending and lower taxes but things get tougher and tougher," said Joseph, retired for 17 years. "I've lived in Bedford Hills all my life, but now, as a senior citizen, the town of Bedford is a very expensive place to live."

Nodding in agreement was Andrea Thompson, 55, who voted around 8 a.m. in Bedford Hills. "It would be nice to see lowered taxes. I vote all Democratic, except for [Supervisor] Lee Roberts," she said. "I think she's doing well in a thankless job—it's really hard to keep everyone happy."

Over at the Bedford Hills Community House, Mary Gould, 61, was voting on her way to her job as a speech pathologist in the Rye School District. She said she hadn't followed the county board of legislators race as closely as she had the town board election, but learned more about their positions after speaking with candidates via phone. "I got a lot of calls from the two Peters, and that's OK—I greatly value the democratic process." Gould, a registered Democrat—"in a Republican town," she said—voted across party lines.

Echoing the concerns of most voters this morning, Giulius Mangione, 72, said the most important issue was keeping taxes down. "People can't afford to live here," said the owner of Mangione Construction. "I own 15 rental properties and don't want to raise the rents because it's tough on tenants. But it makes it harder for me to have a profitable business."

Update 8 a.m. - Voices from the Vote

Keeping tax increases low was the number one election issue cited by voters who cast their ballots before their workday started. Here's what some voters in Bedford and Katonah had to say:

Bernadette Pace, of Katonah, who has college-aged children, had voted before arriving at the train station at 7 a.m. Pace, a marketing executive, said she cared most about the cost of living. "I care about keeping taxes low, especially with the lowered value of real estate around here."

Graham Brown, 49, of Katonah, hadn't voted yet but planned to vote later in the day. "You have to vote and make your voice heard," he said. Though he didn't share whom he'd vote for, he noted that continuity was a good idea. "It's not easy to make everyone happy, and the town board members have a tough job," said the father of three elementary school kids. "It seems like they've cut everything they could recently—it's a bare bones situation and I think they're doing a pretty good job."

Morning story, 5 a.m.

 Early morning commuters are headed to the polls as they open, and candidates will be waiting.

Here's a run-down of candidate schedules received by Patch, should you want to ask any last minute questions before casting your own vote:

Town Board Republican candidate Luke Vander Linden plans to be at the Katonah train station at 6 a.m. and the Bedford Hills train station at 6 p.m.

Peter Michaelis, Republican candidate for the county board of legislators, District 2 will cast his vote at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Katonah and will later join Vander Linden at 9:30 p.m. to hear election results at in Katonah.

Peter Harckham, the Democratic incumbent for District 2, will be voting at 9 a.m. at the Katonah Village Library. He'll join Democratic town board candidates, David Gabrielson and Chris Burdick, along with supporters, friends and family, at in Katonah for election results.

Before heading to the polls, check our and for an in-depth look at our coverage of the races, visit our Elections 2011 page.

This story will be updated frequently today so be sure to stop back for the latest in local election news.

Have you voted yet? What was your experience at the polls? Let us know in the comments.