Kimball, Shoen, Spaziani & Babcock take top spots for Watertown City Council, Hickey out
WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - With all precincts reporting, Robert Kimball, Ben Shoen, Leonard Spaziani, and Timothy Babcock are the apparent leads in the Primary Election for Watertown City Council.
The top four vote-getters will be on the ballot in November.
“I stand for things that would be for the betterment of Watertown without causing irreparable financial harm,” said Kimball.
“I’m happy that the city has spoken and said, hey, we are sick of what has happened in the last couple of years and want to make a change, and I’m ready to help make that change,” said Shoen.
Current council member Patrick Hickey, whose seat is up for grabs, apparently will not be on the November ballot.
There are 50 votes separating Babcock and Hickey.
Even with 199 absentee votes to be counted, it appears the margin is too great for Hickey to overcome.
During our 10 p.m. newscast, Hickey joined 7 News reporter Lexi Bruening for a live interview.
When asked if the controversial $3.4 million purchase of the Watertown Golf Club played a role in the outcome of the race, Hickey said it did.
He said the city paid $1 million more for the golf course than it was worth after seeing an appraisal. Hickey was among the majority on city council to approve the purchase before getting an appraisal.
A dozen candidates, including write-ins, were running for three seats on city council. After Hickey, the rest of the votes went to Doug Osbourne, Jr., Maryellen Blevins, Cliff Lashway, Michael Wratchford, and Jason Traynor.
See the full results here.
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Source: WWNY
