Ceretto declared winner for 145th Assembly District
More than a month after Election Day, a winner has officially been declared in the race for the 145th Assembly District seat. Republican incumbent John Ceretto will keep his post. YNN's Antoinette DelBel sat down with Ceretto and Democratic challenger Robert Restaino.
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NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. — Following the November 6 general elections, the final ballot count for the 145th Assembly District in Niagara County has been tallied and a winner has officially been declared.
"We felt confident from the beginning that the numbers looked good," said Assemblyman John Ceretto.
The Niagara County Board of Elections finished certifying results on Wednesday, and Republican incumbent John Ceretto beat out Democratic challenger Robert Restaino for a second term.
The two were separated by fewer than 1,000 votes.
"I'm disappointed in the results, obviously, but not disappointed in the effort,” said Restaino. “Our message was clearly received well - the message of creating jobs, the message of lowing the cost of government."
The commissioner for the Niagara County Board of Elections said the process of counting affidavit and absentee ballots took four days - a little longer than they had expected with representatives from both sides making sure all votes were valid.
"There were certain things that we weren't going to pursue, certain objections we weren't going to go after, because we just thought that the gap - despite the fact that we knew we could close it - we didn't know whether we could close it completely," said Restaino.
"The campaign's over,” said Ceretto. “I'm ready to get back to business."
Ceretto currently serves the 138th Assembly District.
But come Jan. 1, he will represent the newly re-drawn 145th District, which will cover Grand Island, Niagara Falls, Cambria, Lewiston, Niagara, Wheatfield and portions of North Tonawanda.
And with nearly 20 years of political experience, Ceretto said he's ready to get to work on projects for the economy.
"It's going to create jobs, lower taxes and make this area better," he said.
Restaino said this isn't the end of the line for him. He wants to find other ways to serve the community.