Absentee Ballots Put New Milford Democrats On Top

Until all 185 absentee ballots were counted, the race in New Milford was too close to call, but when all the votes were tallied, the Democratic slate swept to victory, changing the face of New Milford's council.

Democratic incumbent Randi Duffie and her running mates, Hedy Grant and Austin Ashley, beat out Republican incumbents Celeste Scavetta, Peter Rebsch and their running mate, Darren Drake. 

Duffie, who will now serve her second three-year term, said, "The people of New Milford deserve to have balance on the council. I'm so honored to be re-elected and have Hedy Grant and Austin Ashley serve with me. The people of New Milford will be served well."

Duffie, with 1,559 votes, led the pack while newcomer Ashley followed with 1,510 votes. Grant's 1,490 votes gave her a narrow 10 vote margin over Scavetta's 1,480 votes. Rebsch, who was appointed to the council by Mayor Subrizi in June to fill the unexpired term of Keith Bachmann, took 1,455 votes, and Drake took 1,471 votes.

After a failed run in 2009, Grant said she was overjoyed to win a seat on the council. "I'm gratified at the trust and confidence expressed by the people of New Milford and I hope to serve them well," she said.

Ashley said he is also honored by his win. "I want to thank the people of New Milford for putting their trust in me. This has been a fantastic experience and I've met so many wonderful people."

The race centered around post-Irene clean-up, flooding, the development of the United Water property, and rising taxes. Many residents felt that the collection of garbage and trash was not handled appropriately in the days following Hurricane Irene. Many residents in the flood-affected areas reported that garbage was not collected for 11 days.  

Some residents were vocal about United Water's lack of initiative in mitigating the flooding that has been occurring not only during major storms, but during any heavy rainfall. 

Knowing the amount of work facing the Mayor and Council, Ashley told Patch, "I'm looking forward to getting to work."