An unregistered voter who cast a ballot in last week’s Manhasset Park District commissioner election did not affect Munsey Park resident Kenneth Weigand’s victory over incumbent Jay Hernandez and challenger Matthew Falcone, according to a review of the results conducted last Wednesday.
The vote was the only discrepancy discovered in the review of the votes, officials said. It was not disclosed which candidate received the vote.
Hernandez, who Weigand defeated by eight votes in winning a three-year term as park commissioner, said that in light of the review he would not continue to challenge the result.
“It was done, we recounted the vote and I have accepted the fate of the result and I will not challenge it,” he said.
Weigand received 212 votes in last Tuesday’s election, to Hernandez’s 204. Falcone, commander of American Legion Post 304 in Manhasset, received 148 votes.
Weigand said last week he was in contact with the other park district commissioners and the district’s attorneys and “as far as they’re concerned and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve won the race.”
“[Hernandez] is entitled to do what he feels he needs to make him feel comfortable with this election,” Weigand added. “But as far as I’m concerned and from what I’ve been informed, I’ve won the race.”
Hernandez, who was appointed to the park district in March following the resignation of former Commissioner John Regan, said he sought a review of the 564 total votes cast because the result was so close.
“Given it was only an eight-vote difference, I wanted to make sure no voters from out of the district voted,” he said. “We found one, but it was not enough to overturn it.”
“I congratulate Mr. Weigand for winning the election,” Hernandez added.
