At 9:22 p.m., incomplete unofficial results for the Salem town chairman race show Diann Tesar with 393 votes and incumbent Linda Valentine with 196 votes.
These totals are with two of two polling places reporting some results.
UPDATE 9:25 p.m. — Latest results show Tesar with 667 and Valentine with 374.
UPDATE 10:05 p.m. — Latest results still show Tesar with two to one lead: Tesar 1,425 to Valentine’s 777.
UPDATE — As of Wednesday morning, final unofficial returns from town clerk show Tesar 1,426 and Valentine 777.
Please allow me to be among the first to congratulate Diann Tesar on her election victory.
A much-needed healing process can truly begin now under our new Town Chairman’s pending stewardship. The past two years have been marked by way too much conflict and division.
The voters have proven that they do not want a “leader” who ignores their wishes (as per that advisory referendum that rejected village status for Salem AT THIS TIME) and dictates her agenda instead. The voters have proven that they do not want a “leader” who is in constant conflict with her entire board; insisting on marathon meetings that alienated even many of her own original supporters. The voters have proven that they do not want a “leader” who has made a certain town employee’s life so miserable as to cause this person to sue her. I know of no other instance in Salem history where an employee had to sue a town chairman. (If I am wrong, someone kindly correct me.)
I apologize to Diann Tesar for working for her opponent’s victory two years ago. I and many others were clearly deceived. Obviously, most of us have regained our senses in the interim. Good luck to you and to your colleagues in your new capacity as our Town Chairman.
Thank you.
Dr. Brad Smith
I too would like to congratulate Diann. Now Salem can get back to business without all the vendictive, hateful spewing from former chair Valentine and her regime. The people have spoken loudly and clearly.
no salem can get back to being salem congrats diane
Congratulations to Chairman elect Diann Tesar and supervisors Joe Meier and Dan Campion. Perhaps now the new town board can put the wishes and needs of the people on the town agenda versus personal concerns.
It is appropriate at this time to remind the board that they have been elected to represent the people, to exercise their duties with the welfare of the electors in mind and not use their positions for pursuing personal agendas or personal profit. It is your fiduciary responsibility to make wise decisions, taking into considerations the repercussions of your decisions.
Please keep in mind that until we wee an economic recovery in our town, for us there is no recovery regardless of what Washington and the liberally biased media says.
In spite of what I see here under replys I feel it right back to same old Salem.All those making comments here where yelling just last year about the old board and how they got no place.Didn;t have a voice. When each and everyone of you ask Linda to get information or had a problem she WORK on getting you answers We may have not like the answer but you were were giving a chance to speakand you got answers Lets just see how that goes now. Before no one knew nothing about what was going on in Salem. Because of what Linda has done their is more information out their for the citizens of Salem. Lets just wait and see what our new chair does to keep that information going. And how long before you all complain about Diane Their is nothing going be different with having the same old board
Their are some people who if they don’t get their own way just pout and throw darts instead of trying to work it out.
To my knowledge Linda has ALWAYS done her best to represent what we have ask of her,and to say different now by some people is real sad
Remarks saying she had her own adgenda is also sad. Most of what was on adgenda’s were requests by someone who got no place in the past or old business not completed. She took on alot of things that should have been done long before she took chair.So now she giving the heat because she had to guts to fight the good old boys club. Linda has only wanted to make salem a better place for ALL of us