In photo, Kevin Muldowney and Alice Vanderveldet, third and fourth from left, take time out of their celebration Wednesday night, March 18, to pose for a photo with fellow Better Babylon party members, Trustee Debbie Basile, Mayor Ralph Scordino and Trustee Tony Davida. A slow but steady stream of voters headed to the polls in Babylon Village last week, putting incumbent Trustees Alice Vanderveldt and Kevin Muldowney of the Better Babylon Party back in office. They defeated, in a very close election, Darrell Conway, a local attorney and school board member who said the day following the election that he had no regrets and believed his campaign raised important issues.

"I would not have done anything differently," said Conway, who campaigned on a platform calling for an upgrade in Village facilities, particularly the Village pool, more open government and fiscal accountability.

When the votes were tallied, Muldowney had 886 votes; Vanderveldt 752; Conway 700, and Elizabeth Rye, a fourth candidate, with 250 votes.

"It always helps to reflect on what it is we are doing as public officials," said Vanderveldt in discussing the challenge to her seat. "To his credit, Darrell helped us do that."

Muldowney agreed, saying that all public officials should be held accountable and that it was nice to get confirmation in a close election that "we are doing the right thing."

"I can't thank the public, and our supporters enough," he said.

One voter at the polls in Village Hall said he got out to vote because he wanted to see the incumbents continue in office. "I am sure he (Conway) is a nice guy, but I didn't think his issues were real," said Bob Bertschi. "They (Muldowney and Vanderveldt) are doing a good job."

But with such a close election, Better Babylon Party members said they believe they have to try even harder to connect with the public.

"I think the results of this election are a tribute to Alice and Kevin and how the community felt about them, and the direction in which the Village is going," said Mayor Ralph Scordino, a Better Babylon Party member. "It is important to be out there and find out what issues the public has and work to resolve them ,and that is what we will continue to do in the coming years."