Paul pedals ahead to a comfortable lead in his 16th Tour de Greenburgh triumph

[UPDATE: AS OF JUNE 24  (PM), THE BOE HAS THE GREENBURGH RESULTS FROM PRIMARY DAY AND EARLY VOTING AT:

Paul Feiner.     3,426.  59%

Tasha Young:  2,342. 41%.        This total probably does not include the 500+ absentee votes]

The warnings of some observers that Feiner's cycling campaign would stall in the steep hills of Greenburgh  proved unfounded tonight as the thirty-year Supervisor coasted to a commanding margin in his bid for re-election as Town Supervisor.    

With 75 of 81 Greenburgh electoral districts reporting, Feiner has claimed about 3200 (61%) votes  to Tasha Young's 2080 (39%).   In addition to the six missing districts, there are at least 500 absentee votes left to count.  Considering that the median age of the absentee voters is a spritely 77, is it very unlikely they will favor the challenger over the longtime incumbent but will tend instead to increase Feiner's lead. 

In an impressive performance, Feiner earned the yellow jersey by leading in every part of the town except his challenger's home course of Elmsford village and the peloton precincts of Edgemont.   

Most stunning to me is Feiner's nearly identical margin in each of three general areas of electoral Greenburgh:  the four Rivertowns with 58%, North Greenburgh also with 58% and South Greenburgh with 56%.  You can't get much more consistent than that.  

Over the course of the campaign, Tasha Young righted herself after early stumbles to conduct a compelling and classy challenge that brought to the fore issues of fair housing and social justice not usually featured in Greenburgh primaries.  We hope she will continue to add her voice and perspective to town discussions. 

Low turnout, however, likely doomed Tasha Young's prospects.  When all the votes are counted, turnout will likely not exceed 6200 or 6300 votes.   This means that 16% to 17% of eligible Greenburgh Democrats bothered to vote and these are the hardcore, regular primary voters who consistently support Paul by 60% or more.   Young needed to expand the primary electorate beyond the older hardcore regulars, which means that she needed to energize progressive women under the age of 50.  It's pretty clear this did not happen.  

In upcoming posts, I plan to delve deeper into the primary voting data when finalized, the campaign finances and some uninvited editorializing about some problems with Young's campaign that may have fatally undermined her promising challenge just as it began.