DebraLee Hovey took nothing for granted while seeking a sixth-consecutive term, with red and white lawn signs, advertising and campaigning all the way to Election Day. It paid off with a commanding victory over her Democratic challenger in the 112th state district race. Hovey took 64.4% of the vote among those going to the polls in Monroe and Newtown.
"I love my constituency," Hovey said during a Republican gathering at Tavern restaurant in Monroe Tuesday night. "I work hard for them and I think that the vote numbers show people know I work hard for them — and I will continue to with every ounce of my being, because we can't continue being the 50th state in fiscal stability."
Hovey said "common sense" legislation is needed. "People can't afford more taxes. They can't afford more government and we have to get the state back to toward economic recovery," she said.
Hovey's challenger, Robert Dombroski, a retired attorney, went door-to-door in the spring to garner support and tried to raise the campaign funding needed for state matching funds. His effort fell short, and Dombroski told Patch Tuesday morning that he took advantage of free media to get his message out rather than buying signs and advertisements.
Dombroski said he ran "a quiet campaign" and on Election Day, he did not greet voters at the polls, rather, he chose to "leave it in the hands of the voters."
Hovey criticized Dombroski's decision to stay home during Election Day, saying, "From my standpoint, it's a slap in the face to voters for him to stay home and be an armchair quarterback and not go out and participate in the political process. That's not leadership."
According to the unofficial results, Hovey won 6,858 to 3,792. In Monroe, she won 5,877 to 3,304 and Hovey took Newtown 981 to 488.
In a telephone interview Tuesday night, Dombroski said, "I got a lot of people to thank and I want to start with Monroe's Democratic Committee Chairman Nick Kapoor and our Registrar of Voters Susan Koneff."
Dombroski said they gave good advice to get another ballot line, so he also ran as a Working Families candidate. While it didn't help him, be believes it could have made a difference for another candidate who lost a close race in Newtown.
"The moral of the story is, you're only as good as the people helping you out and the advice they give you," Dombroski said.
He also thanked all of Monroe's Democrats and those who supported him when he went door-to-door earlier in the campaign. "One reason I ran, is I wanted to be there for a lot of people I believe in," he said. "I came out of retirement and did my bit to help others."
