The Suspense Is Over
The election results aren't yet certified, but it seems inevitable that Alison Jolicoeur will be Putnam Valley's new town supervisor in January and C.J. Brooks will replace Stacey Tompkins on the Town Board. With just a handful of ballots still trickling in, the Democratic candidate, Jolicoeur, was leading Republican incumbent Jacqueline Annabi by 23 votes and Brooks, also a Democrat, was ahead of his Republican opponent by 31. Annabi publicly acknowledged at a Veterans Day event yesterday that she lost the election and has told people she does not intend to ask for a recount.
Annabi's departure comes after a long run of public service to Putnam Valley. She joined the Town Board in 2010 and served as Deputy Supervisor to both Republican and Democratic administrations before being elected to the top job in 2021. Jolicoeur will be the first person in at least 20 years to assume the position of supervisor without previously having served as a town board member.
Because she has no town governance experience, Jolicoeur will have a steep learning curve and, potentially, very little time to prove herself. Unless a new state law that aligns local elections with state and federal cycles is overturned, her term will be up for reelection next fall and Annabi, though she has told people she won't, could still decide to run again.
After being sworn in on January 2nd, Jolicoeur will immediately have an opportunity to shake things up. Former Supervisor Sam Oliverio says that Jolicoeur will get to make appointments for positions such as deputy supervisor, town counsel and town planner, as well as members of various boards and commissions, though some appointments may require full board approval. With Brooks in place, Jolicoeur's party will enjoy a majority on the board.
Putnam Valley's governance could be in for still more changes next year. Republican Christian Russo, who was just reelected to a three-year term, is considered likely to run next November for a seat on the Putnam County Legislature representing Putnam Valley. If he runs and is elected, Russo's departure would create a vacant spot on the Town Board that would need to be filled.
Times in Putnam Valley definitely are a-changin'!
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