Cheney and Iurato elected to Village Board

Warwick — Barry Cheney was the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s Village of Warwick election, with the electorate also sending Bill Iurato back to the board on an Election Day that saw more than 500 people cast their ballots. It was a three-way race for the two trustee seats. Local builder and business owner David Bartnowski finished third. Cheney, 58, will be seated at the table where Roger Metzger now sits. Metzger decided not to seek reelection. Cheney is new to politics, although well-known on the volunteer front in the town and village. He has served on the village’s Planning Board for 22 years, six as its chairman. He has also worked on the Comprehensive Master Plan Committee, the Zoning Ordinance Revision Committee, and the Memorial Park Master Plan Committee. A civil and environmental engineer by trade, he is a longtime volunteer for Little League Baseball and the Warwick school district. “I was very pleased with the result,” said Cheney the day after his victory. “You go through a lot of emotions during the campaign. You wonder if people are hearing your message. Over 500 people voted in a contest with no prominent issues so I guess they were listening.” To put the numbers in context, Cheney added, there are more than 4,000 voters in the village so the 500 who voted are only 12.5 percent. “It’s a small portion of the registered voters. I would like to see that improve.” JoAnn Rome, the village clerk, said Cheney is right about the numbers. With absentee ballots, more than 500 votes were cast in what is considered an “off-year” election. Iurato, 57, will begin his ninth year on the Village Board. He has overseen the village summer concert series and is liaison to the Department of Public Works, water and sewer, and traffic and parking committees. He is the owner of Peck’s Wines and Spirits in Warwick. Cheney will leave his appointed position on the village’s Planning Board immediately. His last meeting was last night. Now, he said, he will focus on things such as improving inter-municipal cooperation and sharing resources. “The town and villages are moving ahead on the comprehensive plan with the parks and sharing resources,” Cheney said. “I’d like to see the school district pulled into that as well.” Cheney and Iurato will be sworn into office on Monday, April 7, at the Village Hall for their four-year terms. The count: • Barry J. Cheney: 360 votes • William F. Iurato: 326 votes • David Bartnowski: 219 votes