Hyland Sacks “Boss” Ryan
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- November
- 4
The truth is nobody thought Bob Hyland had much of a chance to unseat Bill “Boss” Ryan. That doesn’t mean Hyland wasn’t a good candidate.
He was.
A standout at Stepinac High and a star football lineman for the Super Bowl winning Greenbay Packers, Hyland, has long been a familar face on the local scene. For manyy years, he has owned and operated the Sports Page pub in White Plains. Hyland is tall, soft-spoken and modest in the mold of a Garry Cooper-type. His business acumen and biography made him an appealing candidate.
However, he faced some big problems. He’s a political novice for one thing. And he was up against a powerful, entrenched incumbent in Ryan, who sits as the chairman of the county Board of Legislators. Ryan raised more money than Hyland and he had the advantage of serving in the Fifth legislative district which overwhelmingly favors Democrats.
Ryan mailed out a last-minute flier that came close to libeling Hyland. Even if Ryan pulls this out in a recount, it’s an upset and a repudiation of the Boss.
But look what happened. With all 51 election districts reporting, the race is a virtual dead heat. Hyland leads Ryan by 44 votes—5,456 to 5,412, according to unofficial numbers from the Board of Elections.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 2:14 pm by Phil Reisman.
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Phil Reisman is a veteran journalist and native of Westchester County. He began his career in 1977 as the head copy boy of a startup New York City newspaper that quickly went belly up. Reisman was not to blame for the newspaper's failure, or so he claims.
Why in holy hell should it take two weeks to re-count 10,000 votes? And, how does Ryan come up with a different result than the Bd of Elections? Get the golf clubs out, Boss Hog. As we speak, Andy’s down in Florida making reservations (if he can figure out how to do it since he can’t just show up with his entourage any more and tee off, blocking taxpayers with bona fide reservations.)
I hope this doesn’t turn into a Larry Delgado, Glen Hockley lawyerfest. That battle lasted so long that by the time it was over the term of office was almost up.
I worked the Sports Page with Roland Desoto and the Fabulous Studebakers, and we were treated like kings. The crowd is lively, vociferous, even intimidating sometimes, if you’re not “with it”, but its a true local culture hub. (I never spotted Gary Kriss there).
Real folks, living real lives, letting off legal steam, in a venue generously provided by our new victor, a true “Man of the People”
If Old Boss Ryan somehow ekes out 45 fonus-balonus not-a-votes by some devious maneuver, I suggest a tarring & feathering be held on Mamaroneck Ave,... I’ll provide the pillows.
Maybe the Boss is out looking for his Katherine Harris.