Democrats seized the majority in Perinton town government on Tuesday, unseating the incumbent supervisor and adding two seats on the Town Board, according to unofficial election returns.
The east-side suburb has leaned Republican for decades, but the balance of political power has been teetering for some years now.
The Democratic candidate for town supervisor, Jennifer Townsend, bested incumbent Supervisor Ciaran Hanna, a Republican with a long-standing involvement in local politics and government. Townsend won with 55% of the unofficial vote tally.
Democrats Emily Mischler and David Masterson also prevailed for Town Board, placing the party firmly in the majority.
Historically, Republicans have fared well in Perinton. For many years, they had a comfortable enrollment advantage. But that changed a decade or so ago, and Democrats now have a more than 2,000 voter edge over the GOP and before Tuesday held two Town Board seats and both town justice positions.
That gradual enrollment shift has played out in other towns across Monroe County such as Penfield, which also saw Democrats win control of Town Hall on Tuesday.
Below are the results for Perinton:
Perinton supervisor
Jennifer Townsend | Democratic, Working Families — 55%
Ciaran Hanna | Republican, Conservative — 45%
Perinton town clerk
Andrew Gilchrist | Democratic, Working Families — 54%
Janelle Reed | Republican, Conservative — 46%
Perinton Town Board (2)
Emily Mischler | Democratic, Working Families — 30%
David Masterson | Democratic — 29%
David Belaskas | Republican, Conservative — 21%
Mike Cialini | Republican, Conservative — 20%
Perinton town justice
Charles Steinman | Democratic, Working Families — 58%
Matthew Lenhard | Republican, Conservative — 42%
