Election night in Brockport - Mayor-elect Mort Wexler looks over his ballot numbers following the reading of the results. Wexler beat incumbent Mayor Josephine Matela by garnering 599 votes to her 279.

Maria Castañeda leans on her husband Benjamin for support after learning the results of the June 21 election. She was elected to a trustee seat with 594 votes.

David Wagenhauser relaxes a bit after learning of his successful bid for a trustee seat. He received 582 votes. Photos by Robbi Hess.

Brockport voters elect new mayor, trustees

Candidates in the Village of Brockport elections were convinced residents wanted a change and election results may show they were right. On June 21, voters elected a new mayor and two new trustees.

Village Trustee Mort Wexler was elected mayor, defeating incumbent Mayor Josephine Matela by a margin of almost two to one, and two other candidates for mayor, Norman Knapp, village trustee and Glenn Emerson. Wexler received 599 votes, Matela 279, Knapp, 194 and Emerson received 174.

Also elected to the board were newcomers Maria Castañeda, who received 594 votes and David Wagenhauser, with 582. Laura Emerson, 271 votes; incumbent Trustee James Whipple, 268 votes; John Bush, 240 votes; and Scott Hunsinger, 211 votes, were defeated in their bids for election as trustees.

Castañeda was overcome with tears when the results were announced to a packed village hall on June 21.

"I'm happy and overwhelmed," she said as she received congratulatory hugs and handshakes from friends and family. "In the end it was proven that the village wanted a change and now we're on the right path."

Those opposed to Matela cited her policies on proposed changes to rental housing laws and on the cost of operating the police department.

The village has 3,058 eligible voters and 1,267 of them turned out to make their opinions heard.

Wexler said one of his first orders of business will be to "get the village to some semblance of civility." He said he ran his campaign on making village government more affordable.

"Everyone knows where I stand on the issues and I plan to work to make the village affordable and work to get people together," he said. "There is a horrible division in the village that we have to spend time making certain that we repair that rift."

Following the election result announcement, Wagenhauser said he plans to "hit the ground running at the first meeting."

He also said, "the residents have called for a change in the village government and I plan to give them what they wanted."

Wexler's election to the mayoral seat leaves his trustee seat vacant and Knapp, who chose to run for mayor, loses his seat as a trustee on the board. Wexler will appoint someone to fill his trustee seat which expires in 2007. The selection, he said, does not require board approval and he hopes to make his decision within the next week. Once chosen, the individual will fill the seat until the election in 2006 when the appointee would be required to run for election for the remaining term.

Carrie Maziarz, a trustee since 2003, remains on the board.

The swearing in ceremony for the new candidates is tentatively scheduled for July 6.