Yorktown To Hold Special Election After Supervisor's Sudden Death

In a special meeting held on Wednesday night, Jan. 31, the Yorktown Town Board unanimously passed a motion to hold a special election on Tuesday, April 16 to determine who will replace Supervisor Thomas Diana, who died suddenly on Friday, Jan. 5 at the age of 66. 

In addition to in-person voting, residents can vote via both early vote-by-mail ballots and absentee ballots, town officials said during the meeting. 

In addition to setting a date for the election, the Town Board also passed a motion to pay Deputy Supervisor and Councilman Ed Lachterman a stipend of $111,390 on top of his $25,080 councilman's salary. 

Since Diana's death, Lachterman has been serving in his place and he said he has taken time away from other obligations to give the job his full attention, including resigning from several town boards and giving his businesses less attention. 

"I needed to take away time so there can be a balance," Lachterman said during Wednesday's meeting, also saying that an election for Diana's successor is a necessary move to move forward. 

"There's nothing more democratic than an election," Lachterman said, adding, "You need to honor the will of the people." 

The candidates in the election have not yet been announced. 

Diana, who died only days after being sworn into his position on Monday, Jan. 1 following his election to his first two-year term in November, originally became interim Town Supervisor in January 2023 when his predecessor, Matt Slater, was elected to the New York State Assembly. 

This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates. 

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