Langley Defeated By McConville, Concedes in Putnam Sheriff Re-election Bid
Democratic Putnam County Sheriff Robert Langley Jr. lost his bid for a second four-year term as the county’s top law enforcement officer Tuesday night.
Langley, a Philipstown resident, spoke to a crowd of about 60 people awaiting the tally at Four Brothers Pizza Restaurant in Mahopac.
“We fought like hell but there were a lot of lies and information was leaked,” Langley said. “The Putnam legislature did everything they could to win. Now we have to hold them accountable. They work for you.”
Challenging Langley was Republican and Conservative challenger Kevin McConville whose early vote count lagged by about 1,000 votes. But by 10:30 p.m. with 30 districts reporting, McConville had pulled ahead with 12,222 votes to Langley’s 9,074 votes.
In his concession speech, Langley accused the Putnam County Legislature of running a nasty campaign against him, indirectly referring to County Executive MaryEllen Odell, who publicly attacked him on the county website.
“And if that’s what it takes for them to win, we’re in big trouble,” he said. “Now I can speak my mind.”
Earlier in the evening, Langley reminded friends and colleagues that 11 members of the Putnam Republican Committee had openly backed him for re-election.
“The dynamics are changing and it’s not about party, we all work for the people of this county,” Langley said. “The Republicans (in office) wanted me to work for them but we don’t work for a political party.”
Speaking to the crowd while also checking the Putnam County Board of Elections website was Jennifer Colamonico, chair of the Carmel Democratic Committee. “We built an amazing coalition and we are grateful for our friends’ support,” she said. “We saw more enthusiasm to be involved.”
As of midnight, McConville, a retired chief of the MTA Police Department and also a Philipstown resident, hadn’t officially declared victory.
Abby is a local journalist who has reported on breaking news for more than 20 years. She currently covers community issues in The Examiner as a full-time reporter and has written for the paper since its inception in 2007. Read more from Abby’s editor-author bio here. Read Abbys’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/ab-lub2019/
