The ballot in New York

By FRITZ MAYER

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — When Sullivan County voters go to the polls on Tuesday, November 7, they will choose a governor, a lieutenant governor, a state comptroller, a federal senator, a congressperson, a state senator, a state representative, a county court judge, a county legislator and several town board members.

The race for governor pits Democrat Eliot Spitzer against Republican John Faso. In the latest poll from Quinnipiac University, Spitzer was ahead of Faso by a margin of 71 to 23 percentage points.

In the race for lieutenant governor, Democrat David Paterson, who is running on the ticket with Spitzer, is also running well ahead of his Republican opponent C. Scott Vanderhoef.

Comptroller Alan Hevesi has fallen slightly in the polls in his bid to retain his office in a race with Republican Christopher Callaghan. Hevesi’s retreat comes after he admitted to improperly using a government employee to chauffer his wife. Hevesi still leads Callaghan 54 to 27, with 19 percent of the voters still undecided.

Democrat Andrew Cuomo holds a comfortable lead over opponent Jeanine Pirro in the race for attorney general, with the latest Quinnipiac University poll putting Cuomo ahead by 55 to 34 percent.

In the race for the U.S. Senate, Democrat Hillary Clinton, the incumbent, holds a 27-point lead over Republican John Spencer at 59 to 32 percent, according to a Siena College poll.

No polls are needed to predict the winners in the races of Congressman Maurice Hinchey and state Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther; both are running unopposed in their bids to retain their offices.

No poll is available in the race for the state senate seat between Republican John Bonacic, the incumbent, and challenger Democrat Susan Zimet. Political pundits, however, have said they believe the race is closer than would have been expected because Republicans across the state and the country are having a bad year.

In local races, Judge Frank Labuda, a Democrat, is running unopposed for another term.

In the Town of Bethel, Andy LaPolt, who is running on the Republican and Conservative line, is competing against Ted Yeomans, who is running on the Democratic and Open Door lines, to fill a vacant seat on the town board.

In the Town of Delaware, the race for the vacant board seat is between Republican Alice Schlichting and Democrat Kara McElroy.

There are three candidates for the vacant council seat in the Town of Liberty. Gary Siegel is running on the Republican and Independent lines, Clarence Barber Jr. is running on the Democratic line and John Wombacher is running on the Liberty line.

In the Town of Thompson, the race for the vacant seat is between Janet Newberg on the Republican and People’s Choice line, Moniquka Diaz Corley on the Democratic and Conservative lines and Michael Bernstein on the Equal Justice line.

At the county level, Elwin Wood, who replaced Greg Goldstein when Goldstein became the supervisor of Neversink, is running on the Democratic and Working families lines against Patrick O. Casey, who is running on the Republican, Conservative and Independent lines, to represent district three of the Sullivan County Legislature, which includes Livingston Manor and Roscoe.