Campbell wins seat on Woodbury town board

HIGHLAND MILLS-Republican incumbent Colleen Campbell defeated Democrat Amidee T. (Bo) Haviland III to fill a one-year term on the Woodbury town board. According to unofficial figures from the Orange County, Campbell received 2,356 votes to the 1,441 secured by Haviland. Just slightly more than 60 percent of the town's 6,318 registered voters went to the polls in a town where Republicans outnumber Democrats in enrollment by 2,335 to 2,044. Campbell's victory means the five-member town board is entirely made up of Republicans. "Name recognition played an important part in my defeat," Haviland said after the polls closed. "At this level of government, there is non-partisanship. I would have worked well with all parties, bringing my past experiences forward to help the community. "I hope to do better next year," he added. Campbell said Wednesday that it was a "pleasure and honor" to serve the town in this capacity. She was first appointed to the town board in August 2003 to fill a vacancy. She was appointed again in January to fill another. Campbell, 43 and the mother of three children, described herself as a fiscal conservative. She is a former member of the planning board, a retired New York City detective and a 10-year resident of the area. She also said that one of her top priorities would be the implementation of the commissioning of a new Comprehensive Master Plan. That would include, she added, working with developers in an effort to create clusters of housing and open space.