Padavan returned to Senate

State Senator Frank Padavan returned to his 11th District Senate seat in Albany recently, a month after his colleagues and after one of the most drawn out political contests in New York State history.
Padavan arrived early on Monday, February 9 and “hit the ground running,” according to spokesperson Brian Gorman.
After filing papers attesting to his oath of office, Padavan ended a full schedule of conferences with legislators and constituent groups and entered the Senate Chamber when they convened at about 3 p.m.
“He was warmly received and recognized on the floor by Republican Minority Leader Dean Skelos,” Gorman said.
“At least I haven’t missed much,” Padavan conceded, noting that the only Senate vote since January was for the $1.6 billion deficit reduction act. “It wasn’t presented to the media until hours before the vote. The committees did not receive copies,” he said.
The electoral dispute, which moved from the Board of Elections (BOE) to courtrooms in Queens and Brooklyn several times since last November finally came to an end - 86 days after Election Day.
On Thursday, February 5, Judge Kevin Kerrigan lifted his order to the BOE allowing them to certify the election results.
With all but 256 disputed paper ballots counted, Padavan, the Republican, led his Democratic challenger City Councilmember James Gennaro, by 578 votes. Lawyers for both sides dropped their objections and the disputed ballots were opened and counted. Padavan’s final margin of victory was 480 votes.
Gennaro conceded the election to Padavan shortly afterwards, in a strongly worded statement, accusing Padavan and the Republicans of conspiring to “Wage a systematic and sustained effort to either disqualify or deny consideration of perfectly valid ballots.”
“The events of the last three months notwithstanding,” Gennaro said, “I wish Mr. Padavan well and call for this election, once the vote count is completed, to be certified without further delay so that the people of the 11th Senate District can once again have representation in the State Senate.” Officially, the BOE certified the election at their regular meeting on Tuesday, February 10, the day after Padavan took his seat - just a matter of days shorter than a 2005 dispute over a Westchester senate race.
An official swearing-in ceremony for Padavan was scheduled for Sunday, February 15 at Holy Cross High School in Bayside.