By Staff

Nov. 27, 2019: On Wednesday, November 6, 2019, Bronxville residents woke up to the results of the November 5th election, but one race - - the race for Westchester County Legislator for District 15 - - was too close to call.

At 8 AM that morning, the Unofficial Tally of Election Results showed Ruth Walter with 5,395 votes (51%) and Gordon Burrows with 5,193 votes (49%). The candidate vote count was 202 votes apart.

On Monday of this week, Ruth Walter and her team traveled to the Westchester County Board of Elections to watch the absentee ballots being counted.

The Walter campaign reported that, after this count, Walter was still ahead and won the election. The official certification from the Westchester County Board of Elections will come out at the end of the day today, but, as Walter said, the absentee ballots have been counted and "there's no other avenue for results to change."

Democrat Walter has unseated the Republican incumbent, Gordon Burrows, who held the position for 14 years.

Ruth Walter reports that her campaign had support across the district. "In Yonkers -- 5 out of 8 wards chose me -- but I am especially honored and grateful that in my hometown Bronxville voters turned out in such huge numbers 64.3% and voted for me so decisively. This is a large district, 55,000 people, and I believe I am the first person from Bronxville to serve in White Plains as a legislator." 

Walter attributes her success to hard work by her and her team to "understand what voters care about and mobilize people across the district to vote."

Walter's immediate priorities as County Legislator include the environment, local business growth, and domestic violence.

She says that she will start right away talking with the Planning Department and the Department of Energy Conservation "about small steps we can take right now to reduce those flash floods on the Bronx River Parkway."

She will also focus on "local businesses growth along Central Park Avenue with a Merchants Association" and "Red Flag Mandatory Notification law, so victims in domestic violence court will be told about the new law."

Walter will continue to be involved with Dobbs & Bishop Fine Cheese in Bronxville. As she explains, "Our family business means I stay connected to the community, to the multi-national, multi-billion dollar cheese market and to the daily business of balancing the books. Those are all good skills for a legislator."