Draft:2016 Broome County Executive election
November 8, 2016
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| Registered | 115,452[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 81,953[a][1] 70.98% | |||||||||||||||||||
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Garnar: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Preston: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New York |
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The 2016 Broome County Executive election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the County Executive of Broome County, New York. Incumbent Republican County Executive Debbie Preston ran for re-election to a second term but was defeated by the Democratic candidate Jason Garnar.[2]
Democratic Nomination
[edit]- Jason Garnar, former county legislator (2006–2015) and minority leader of the Broome County Legislature (2015)[3][4]
Republican Nomination
[edit]- Debbie Preston, incumbent Broome County Executive[5]
General Election
[edit]Campaign
[edit]In October 2016, WIVT reported that incumbent County Executive Debbie Preston had used a Town of Conklin credit card for up to $23,000 in personal purchases at various retail stores after she had left office as Town Supervisor.[6] Preston used the card from July 2011 to May 2012, more than four months after becoming County Executive.[6] Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell opened an investigation into the matter.[7]
At a press conference, Preston denied wrongdoing and stated that she paid the bills herself.[7] Preston claimed that a person was attempting to blackmail her, threating to release information about the credit card if she did not convince a lawmaker to change a vote.[8] Democratic candidate Jason Garnar stated that corruption at the federal and state level had "trickled all the way down to the local level" and that "it sends a very bad message to the people of Broome County."[8] Preston stated that she would not resign and vowed to stay in the race.[7]
Debates
[edit]| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee W Withdrawn |
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| Garnar | Preston | |||||
| 1[9] | October 18, 2016 | LWV of Broome and Tioga Co. | P | P | ||
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason T. Garnar | 39,609 | 48.33% | ||
| Working Families | Jason T. Garnar | 4,420 | 5.39% | ||
| Women's Equality | Jason T. Garnar | 897 | 1.09% | ||
| Total | Jason T. Garnar | 44,926 | 54.82% | ||
| Republican | Debra A. Preston | 31,966 | 39.01% | ||
| Conservative | Debra A. Preston | 3,205 | 3.91% | ||
| Independence | Debra A. Preston | 1,359 | 1.66% | ||
| Reform | Debra A. Preston | 394 | 0.48% | ||
| Total | Debra A. Preston | 36,924 | 45.06% | ||
| Write-in | 103 | 0.13% | |||
| Total votes | 81,953 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Notes
[edit]- ^ Turnout is calculated as the number of ballots cast, excluding void and blank ballots, divided by the number of eligible voters.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "2016 General Election Official Results" (PDF). Broome County Board of Elections. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ Schwarz, Hannah (November 9, 2016). "County Exec: Garnar Ousts Preston". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ "Jason Garnar Enters Race for Broome County Executive". Spectrum News. March 7, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ Brockett, Megan (June 19, 2015). "Garnar stepping down as county legislator by year's end". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ "Preston announces bid for re-election". Press & Sun-Bulletin. May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
- ^ a b "Leaked emails show Preston used Town of Conklin credit card for personal purchases". WIVT. October 11, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2026. Cite error: Unknown parameter "card" in
<ref>tag; supported parameters are dir, follow, group, name (see the help page). - ^ a b c Canedo, Nick (October 12, 2016). "Upstate NY county executive used town credit card for $23K in personal purchases". Syracuse.com. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
- ^ a b Brittani, Moncrease (October 12, 2016). "Broome County Executive Admits to Using Town Credit Card for Personal Use". Spectrum News. Retrieved May 22, 2026. Cite error: Unknown parameter "card" in
<ref>tag; supported parameters are dir, follow, group, name (see the help page). - ^ Moncrease, Brittani (October 18, 2016). "Broome County Executive Race Candidates Go Toe-to-Toe in First Debate Tonight". Spectrum News. Retrieved May 22, 2026.