Republican Mike Plochocki is the winner against Democrat Toby Shelley in the Onondaga County Legislature District 6 race.
“It’s my first time running and it’s a redistricted district and in this district the number of Republicans and Democrats got closer in the redistricting,” Plochocki said. “I knew my opponent would be better funded than I am. So from the beginning I knew it was going to be a close race.”
As of 11:16 p.m., in the unofficial tally with all precincts reporting, Plochocki had received 3,228 votes compared to 2,837 for Shelley. Plochocki will now fill the seat James Rhinehart, R-Skaneateles, is leaving vacant when he retires. Rhinehart has held the seat since 2005.
At the Republican Party’s vote-watching party at the Onondaga County GOP headquarters, Plochocki was surrounded by his family.
His mother, Julie Plochocki, celebrated her son’s victory. “It’s fulfilling his dream,” said Julie Plochocki. “He wants to be in a political position. He loves this area, this is where I think he wants to be.”
District 6 is in the southwestern part of Onondaga County, including Marcellus, Skaneateles, Spafford, Otisco and a small southern portion of Camillus.
This is Plochocki’s second try for the county legislature. In 2005, Plochocki ran for the District 6 seat as a third-party candidate on the Abraham Lincoln line. But he lost to Rhinehart. After that loss, Plochocki was elected mayor of Marcellus from 2006 to 2010.
Going into the election on Tuesday, Plochocki had a strong advantage in voter enrollment. As of August 2011, of the district’s 19,631 registered voters, 41 percent are Republicans. That compares to 26 percent Democrats and 24 percent unaffiliated with any party.
But Plochocki was behind in campaign fundraising. As of Oct. 31, he had raised a total of $8,773 during 2011. During the same time, his opponent Shelley had raised $12,185, according to finance reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections.
While he is happy to be elected to the District 6 seat, there is room for improvement, Plochocki said. “It’s my hope in the next two years,” Plochocki said, “to meet as many people from all areas of the district as I can.”
(Callan Gray is a junior majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. Some reporting in this story was contributed by Democracywise reporter Annie Knox.)
-30-
