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Carr Declares Victory In Special Election For Bedford Council Seat

BEDFORD, N.Y. -- With a lead of 364 votes on Tuesday night, Democrat MaryAnn Carr declared victory in the special election to fill a council seat on the Bedford Town Board.

Democrat MaryAnn Carr (pictured left in a file photo) leads Republican Luke Vander Linden (right) in a special election for a vacant Bedford Town Board seat.

Democrat MaryAnn Carr (pictured left in a file photo) leads Republican Luke Vander Linden (right) in a special election for a vacant Bedford Town Board seat.

Photo Credit: Tom Auchterlonie

"I know I have won, without a doubt," she said.

Unofficial results from the Westchester County Board of Elections show Carr leading with 1,178 votes over Republican opponent Luke Vander Linden, who has 814. 

Seventeen out of 18 election districts have been reported, according to the county's website. Carr said that the outstanding district, which has 157 votes, would not lead to enough votes to offset her lead over Vander Linden. Absentee ballots are not included in the unofficial results, either, although Carr also doubts that they will be enough to alter the outcome.

Vander Linden could not be reached for comment. The Record-Review reports that he gave a concession speech. 

The unofficial totals among the two candidates also include votes received through minor-party ballot lines. Carr also ran on the Independence and Working Families lines, while Vander Linden also ran on the Conservative and Reform lines.

Carr and Vander Linden, each Bedford Hills residents, ran to fill a vacancy left by Republican Francis Corcoran, who resigned late last year to take a seat on the Westchester County Board of Legislators. 

Carr ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the board this past November, when she and her Democratic running mate, incumbent Deputy Supervisor David Gabrielson, lost to Republicans Don Scott and Lee Roberts.

If Carr's lead holds and is certified by the county, the composition of the town board will once again include two Democrats, with Supervisor Chris Burdick being the other. Councilwoman Mary Beth Kass is the third board member to have been elected on a Republican ticket.

Tuesday's election was the second for Vander Linden, who made an unsuccessful bid for a council seat in 2011. Both candidates in the special election have served as chairs of their parties' town committees.

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