Scott Steve. (Photo Provided)
Pending early voting results, republican candidate Scott Steve tentatively defeated democratic candidate Bruce Tytler in the city of Cortland mayoral race Tuesday evening. The election will be official after early voting and absentee ballots are counted Tuesday, Nov. 9.
According to unofficial results from the Cortland County Board of Elections, Steve compiled 1,289 votes on Election Night, beating Tytler by over 200 votes (1,075).
“It’s a bit overwhelming for sure,” Steve said as the results of Tuesday evening sank in for the newly elected Cortland mayor. “It’s exciting and I’m very humbled that the voters out there (elected me).”
Steve noted the victory and plans of action for the city “rushes through your head at the time,” adding that he’s “trying to organize (his) thoughts.”
“You have a short time to do a lot of things, so you want to hit the ground running,” he said.
Once he takes office in January, Steve said the city has some “daunting tasks in front of them,” including the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) project, the Parker School building project and more.
“There are time constraints on the DRI project,” he added. “We need to get those plans finished and get those bids out.”
Steve noted the biggest task for Cortland Common Council between now and when he takes office is adopting the 2022 budget.
Steve has been the chairman of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals for at least four years, he added. He was a commissioner a couple of years prior.
Steve served with the Cortland County Legislature from his first term as the minority leader (beginning January 2002 until the end of 2003), and his second term as the chair and majority leader (beginning January 2004 until the end of 2005).
A local businessman, Steve has owned Scott Steve Enterprises since the early 1980s.
