Ulrich crushes opponent in easy win

BY TONIA N. CIMINO

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 12:33 PM EST

It was an easy win for incumbent Eric Ulrich, who will continue to serve the 32nd Council District for the next four years.

“There is a tremendous amount of work,” he said, from improving public transportation to bringing back vital funding to the district.

Ulrich, 24, a Republican who picked up numerous endorsements over the course of his campaign, including The Courier Sun and former Governor George E. Pataki, defeated Democrat Frank Gulluscio, District Manager of Community Board 6, 59 percent to 41 percent.

“The voters have spoken and I’m disappointed,” Gulluscio told The Courier at 11 p.m. on election night, Tuesday, November 3.

In the February 24 Special Election to fill State Senator Joseph Addabbo’s City Council seat, which Ulrich won, Gulluscio, who had been widely considered the favorite to win the spot, had his petitions for inclusion on the ballot invalidated because they contained a star, an overt Democratic Party symbol, according to a bipartisan Board of Elections (BOE) committee. In the Special Election, all candidates were to run as Independents.

In the months since the Special Election and his March swearing in, Ulrich said, “I’m glad to have met the constituents. Since I’ve already been elected it’s given me the opportunity to prove myself to the community. I’ve proven in a few months that I should be reelected for four years.”

Noting that a politician’s accessibility is key, Ulrich said that he is most proud of his graffiti clean-up program and the monies he has secured for area libraries.

“I’m going to use my position in the council to deliver the most to my constituents,” he said, noting that his first order of business will be finalizing plans for his November 20 nuptials.

“I owe my fiancée a heck of a lot of time,” he said.