Acting White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach cruised to an easy victory tonight defeating Republican Bob Hyland and Independent Party candidate Glenn Hockley to serve out the remainder of Adam Bradley's term.

Bradley stepped down last month following his December conviction on domestic abuse charges.

With 100% of the vote in, Roach had 4,482 votes, or 52% of the vote to Bob Hyland's 2,442 or 28%. Independence Party candidate and former City Councilman Glenn Hockley had 1,150 votes.

The race to fill the 12th District seat formerly held by Westchester County Legislator Tom Abinanti is coming to a head as voters head to the polls tomorrow to decide a successor.

The winner will serve out the remainder of Abinanti's term, until the end of December 2011.

The election in November is for the next full two year term.

Vying for the seat is Mary Jane Shimsky, who's running on the Democratic, Independence and Working Family lines and Nick DeCicco, who's running on the Republican line.

Shimsky is an attorney. She served as Community Relations Director for former State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky. She has also served on the Hastings Democratic Committee as chair and vice chair. She is currently a vice chair of the Westchester County Democratic Committee.

DeCicco  is a prosecutor for the Westchester County District Attorney's office and is assigned to Family Court in Yonkers. He has also served on the Greenburgh Police Advisory Commission as well as the Greenburgh Zoning Board of Appeals.

Westchesternewsonline.com spoke with both candidates at length about a number of key issues facing Westchester. DeCicco says the key issue is job creation and economic development in the County. He says campaigning and going door-to-door in recent weeks to over 2,000 homes in the District has been an eye-opener for him. "People say to me,' help me stay in my home. Working families and seniors  tell me this is a real concern of theirs, that they may have to move, that they don't know how much longer they can stay.'I myself understand what it's like to struggle to stay in my home, where I live."

Shimsky says the issue is one that hits close to home for her and that she and her husband are among the many who are facing an "economic crisis." The key, she says is "Striking the right balance in the County budget, to continue to pay for services for those who need them, and at the same time keep costs low enough for those who can't afford to pay more."

The Westchester County Board of Legislators announced today that a special election will be heldTuesday February 15 to fill the 12th Legislative District Seat. 

The seat was vacated when Assemblyman Tom Abinanti was elected to serve in the New York State Assembly. Abinanti succeeds longtime Assemblyman Richard Brodsky who ran unsuccessfully for New York State Attorney General.