CHESTER -- Two longtime public servants in Chester lost their seats in Tuesday’s election.

Town of Chester Councilwoman Cindy Smith, a Democrat, was squeezed out by two Republicans, incumbent Jerry Murray and newcomer Matt Kannon, in a race for two open seats. Bob Moran will be the sole Democrat on the new board.

Orange County Legislator Noel Spencer lost his first election in eight years. His District 8 seat will go to Daniel Castricone, a Tuxedo councilman who won 187 more votes in Chester than Spencer, a former Chester councilman who was once a top vote-getter in his hometown.

Castricone got an important boost from the votes that came to him on the Conservative and Independent lines. Spencer had the Conservative endorsement in his last run for the legislature.

District 8 is dominated by Chester but also includes parts of Tuxedo and Warwick and a small section of Monroe.

One Democrat to fend off a challenge is county Legislator Thomas Pahucki of New Hampton. He also had endorsements from the Independent and Conservative parties for his District 21 seat but would have won handily without them. His district includes large sections of Goshen and Middletown, with smaller sections of Wallkill and Chester.

Republican Katherine Bonnelli, a former supervisor from Blooming Grove, won the District 5 seat left open by Legislator Frank Fornario. Fornario is leaving the legislature to serve as Blooming Grove supervisor, a seat that he won Tuesday. District 5 includes Blooming Grove and Goshen.

Post a comment about this story. Be sure to include your name and email to submit a comment. Please note that email addresses are for internal use only and will not be displayed or shared. You can find a copy of our privacy policy in the terms of service link below. Name: Email: (optional) Comments: Current Word Count: Image Verification: (Case sensitive)    I agree that I have read the Terms of Service and agree to abide by them. Terms of Service i agree with last post.. wrote on Nov 6, 2009 10:00 AM: " cindy and noel have spent years serving the people of chester, that you cant argue and for that a thank you is deserved, but..there comes a time when decisions made during the time they are serving become a "me" thing instead of whats good for the town....the people have spoken..the town has a new board and the town has a new legislature that hopefully will finally represent us in goshen...Noel and Cindy, have a nice retirement from politics.. " SRD wrote on Nov 6, 2009 9:40 AM: " If they lost their seats ,they deserved to lose their seats. The people have spoken,at last. " Clerks Rule wrote on Nov 4, 2009 3:15 PM: " Clerks are glorified secretaries. Who can be mad at them? Town Boards, County Legislators, Executives, Supervisors and Mayors all make decisions that oftentimes make some people upset. When was the last time your town clerk messed up a dog license or fishing permit or marriage certificate. You know theres a problem when your clerk doesnt get the highest vote total in your town. They stay out of the political things and just do their role. Look at the results countywide. " you make me laugh wrote on Nov 4, 2009 3:15 PM: " "A statement in itself" that a clerk got more votes than a Supervisor for an unopposed election?! I hardly see a comparison except they both ran for office. The clerk hands out dog licenses, the Supervisor is responsible for creating a multi-million dollar budget. The Supervisor is the one making the REAL LIFE, not to mention difficult decisions that affect each and every one of us. You're bound to anger a few people. To call a 58 point differential a "statement" is hilarious. " 2 more years of Doug ugh wrote on Nov 4, 2009 3:04 PM: " Low voter turnout, yes. But in an unopposed election, it seems somewhat telling that Val Eisma, the Town Clerk, earned more votes than the Town's supervisor, Doug Bloomfield. I see that as a statment in itself. " We Wont Get Fooled Again wrote on Nov 4, 2009 2:26 PM: " Wonder if Sue Bahren will throw out votes next week when they certify the ballots just like she did 2 years ago? Make sure you count all the ballots. It is well known that she will only count the ones for her people. " Vote wrote on Nov 4, 2009 11:21 AM: " It appears the apathy is staggering or else people just accept small town politics is an exercise in futility.It seems silly when so many run unopposed.Good luck to all. " they need to get things right here wrote on Nov 4, 2009 11:20 AM: " one its jerry murray...and two Noel lost an assembly race...who is feeding them this info... " Lando wrote on Nov 4, 2009 11:20 AM: " Who is Jerry Smith? LOL " Apathy Prevails wrote on Nov 4, 2009 11:13 AM: " Less then 2,000 people voted(Goshen and Chester) for our legislators and all local positions. Most ran unapposed..... We are either very happy with the status quo or very lazy. Congrats to those who ran and serve "