In a rare open contest for the Common Council, the Republican candidate Al Julian has lost his campaign for the First District seat. The unofficial winner, according to Channel 5, is Democrat Michael Heagerty.
Shortly after 11 p.m., Julian offered congratulations to his opponent.
“He’ll do a good job. We would have done the job differently but ultimately he’ll do a good job.”[Julian]
As of 11 p.m., with 100 percent of the vote counted, the unofficial results were: Heagerty had 3,215 votes (67 percent); Julian had 1,342 votes (28 percent) and Conservative Kurt Schmeling had 222 votes (5 percent).
At the Republican victory party at the Liverpool Holiday Inn the tension could be cut with a knife. Party-goers anxiously waited for updated numbers as candidates tried to remain calm.
This was Julian’s first campaign for election. He says he is put his all into this race.
At the polls on Tuesdays, some voters confessed they hadn’t really paid attention to the First District Common Council race.
Retired 86 year-old Theresa Maley said she voted for Republican Albert Julian, but she didn’t really know why.
Thomas Duck, a restaurant manager and resident of the First District, says he didn’t pay a lot of attention to the First District Common Council race. But on Election Day he voted for Heagerty. He says the direct mailing form Heagerty’s campaign allowed him to clearly understand Heagerty’s plans for the North Side of Syracuse.
During Al Julian’s campaign he faced two controversies. The Post-Standard reported that Al Julian had $1,075 in unpaid traffic tickets, which he later paid. Then The Post-Standard reported Julian could be ineligible to run for the First District Common Council In order to run for the Common Council, a candidate must live in the district for a full year before the election. According to The Post-Standard, Julian lived and voted in the Fifth District one year ago. Julian said he had a signed lease dated October 16th that proved he had a residence in the First District. He said he moved to the First District a few days before the election.
One voter, Dorothy Schafer, a 79-year-old housewife, dismissed the controversies.
“I really don’t think you can judge, unless you know them personally. I mean what you read, you don’t know if that is the truth. You kind of have to go with the gut feeling sometimes.”[(Schafer]
Democrat Michael Heagerty will succeed current First District Common Councilor Jeff DeFranciso. DeFrancisco decided not to run for another term.
To recap the winner for the First District Common Council race is Democrat Michael Heagerty.
For Democracywise, I’m Ashley Prchal.
(Ashley Prchal is a broadcast journalist student at Syracuse University.)
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