Rockland primaries: 5 takeaways

A former judge walked off with Spring Valley’s crucial Democratic mayoral primary, a Montebello legislator lost the Democratic line in his attempt to win a judgeship and the county executive won a primary he accused his opponent of trying to fraudulently steal.

These were among the unofficial results in Tuesday’s primary in Rockland.

FALLOUT: Primary could end Spring Valley mayor's career

RESULTS: Vote totals in Tuesday's primaries

WESTCHESTER: 10 takeaways from the primaries

Here are some takeaways from those races:

Spring Valley

Former Spring Valley Justice Alan Simon bested Mayor Demeza Delhomme to win the four-way Democratic mayoral primary, essentially ousting the one-term mayor from village government.

Trustees Emilia White and Vilair Fonvil trailed the field, with the defeat ending White's tenure on the Board of Trustees after one four-year term.

The takeaway: Delhomme, who once proclaimed himself "the king" of Rockland's largest village, has been ousted after more than a decade on the Board of Trustees including four years as mayor that included plenty of turmoil. Alan Simon will have to form a coalition with a fractured board.

In the Democrat-dominated village, holding the party's ballot line on the November ballot is tantamount to election. The Republican candidate remains undetermined.

In the seven-way race for two trustee seats on the five-member board, Trustee Asher Grossman cruised to victory with newcomer Eudson Tyson Francois winning the second seat as Delhomme's running mate in the primary.

Surrogate's Court

In a race that has split loyalties among Rockland's Democrats, Keith Cornell outpolled Alden Wolfe for the Democratic Party line, while Wolfe won the Working Families primary, according to unofficial results.

The takeaway: Cornell's Democratic primary victory is a key step toward securing the post in November's election because of Rockland's registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a wide margin.

Both Cornell and Wolfe remain on the ballot with minor party backing. Also on the ballot in November will be Republican Michael Koplen, a New Hempstead village justice and a former Rockland County legislator.

The Surrogate's Court hears cases involving wills and administration of estates, and administers proceedings related to guardianship, among other things. The judgeship carries a 10-year term.

County Executive

Incumbent Ed Day appeared to win the Conservative Party primary against Thomas Sullivan, a race punctuated by Day's allegations that hundreds of Conservative voters were registered fraudulently at last month's deadline. Sullivan called Day's allegation baseless.

Day lost a write-in campaign to wrest the Working Families Party line away from Democratic Party candidate Maureen Porette, an effort the party called an attempt to hijack the line. But he handily fended off a write-in attempt to take the Reform Party line away.

The takeaways: Day, who already holds the Republican line for the November race, apparently staved off an aggressive attempt to deny him the Conservative line. Porette did the same in the Working Families primary.

The position carries a four-year term.

Clarkstown

Adrienne Carey won GOP primary for the Town Council seat representing Ward 3 against Donald Franchino.

Ward 3 includes Nanuet, Central Nyack and West Nyack.

The takeaway: Carey's victory will help her in November, but Franchino already has secured the Democratic, Conservative, Working Families and Independence lines; Carey has only the Reform line.

The seat carries a two-year term.

Nyack

Trustees Marie Lorenzini and Elijah Reichlin-Melnick took decisive steps to re-election by fending off challenges from Joe Carlin and Anngela Vasser Cooper to win the Democratic line in November.

The takeaway: The victory by the two incumbents Tuesday can be viewed as an affirmation of the Board of Trustees' handling of development and other sensitive issues in this left-leaning riverside village.

The primary in the heavily Democratic village typically determines the outcome in the November election.

The seats carry two-year terms.