In the Syracuse At-Large Councilor race, Republican Fanny Villarreal has lost her first bid for public office.

As of 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, with 100 percent of the vote counted, Villarreal, the Republican candidate for the Syracuse Common Council At-Large, received 24.3 percent of the vote, or 7,615 ballots, according to unofficial results on the Web site of the Onondaga County Board of Elections.

She was one of the three candidates vying for the two At-Large seats at the Syracuse Common Council. Democrat Jean Kessner was leading with 43.6 percent of the vote. Democrat Lance Denno held 32 percent.
 
On Tuesday night, Villarral was at her home at West Side Syracuse. She could not be reached for comment by 10 p.m.

At the OnCenter, her fellow Republicans gathered to support the party’s winners and console its losers.
Bob Antonacci, Republican, Onondaga County Comptroller, said he felt sorry for Villarreal because Democrats have such an advantage in the city in numbers of registered voters. “The registration is against us,” he said. “Fanny is a hard-working person. I hope she will run again.”

Villarreal comes to elected politics with a background of community activism. She was the director of family and community development at P.E.A.C.E. Inc.—a community service organization. She also was founder and executive director of NOSTROS Radio Inc. and producer of “Latin Flair,” Syracuse’s first commercial bilingual radio program.

At the polls earlier Tuesday, some voters credited Villerral’s hard work.

At Edward Smith Elementary School, one voter from Syracuse chose Villarreal because of her life experience.

“She's a working mother, just like me. I'd love to see what she would bring to the city," said Kate Lynch, 45, of Syracuse, social worker, and unaffiliated with a party.

For others like Jim Wilson at Toomey Abbott Towers, it was Villarreal’s door knocking that got their vote. "Villarreal went to my house and introduced herself. She seems to be a nice person,” Jim Wilson, 62, of Syracuse, retired, and a member of the Independence Party. “I haven't heard anything bad about her so I guess she's doing a good job."

(Lynette Chen is a grad student in magazine, newspaper and online journalism.)

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