November 3, 2009

CORNING -- The polls are open and the race is on for Corning mayor -- it's one of the biggest races in the Twin Tiers this Election Day '09.
     There's a much different mood in the city of corning today than two years ago.  Mayoral candidates Frank Coccho and Rich Negri say they shied away from dirty politics, and they're just ready for the campaign to come to an end.
     Voter turnout has been steady at the Corning Senior Center for most of the morning and the afternoon.
     That’s where Democrat Coccho cast his ballot.  Coccho says he's very happy about how the campaign went, and he's feeling good going into tonight.
     “Richie and I made a pledge that it'd be a clean campaign, and we've lived up to that. The citizens of corning deserve nothing less, and we were glad to do it,” said Coccho.
     Coccho says the number one issue in this race is how to take care of the city's infrastructure -- although he and his opponent, Republican Negri, differ with how to go about it.
     WENY-TV News cameras caught up with Negri as he cast his ballot at the Southeast Steuben County Library earlier Tuesday morning.
     “I’m excited.  It's the first time I've been in this particular position, and I'm excited.  I can't wait for the polls to close, and I can't wait for the results,” said Negri.
     Even if Negri loses the race for mayor, he'll remain in his position on city council.
     Stay tuned to WENY-TV News -- we'll have team coverage of this race Tuesday at 11 p.m. on Twin Tiers Tonight: Late Edition.