East Aurora has a new mayor — a Buffalo police officer who campaigned hard against the

idea of dissolving village government.

Village Trustee Allan A. Kasprzak, who often butted heads with Mayor Clark W. Crook over

the last few months over Crook's push for dissolution, won a tight race in Tuesday's village

election, topping Crook by 46 votes. Kasprzak, who has served on the Village Board for two

years, received 701 votes to Crook's 655.

In Village Board results, former Trustee Patrick Shea, who served from 2003-05, was the top

vote-getter in the trustee race, with 679 votes, followed by incumbent Ernest Scheer, with 667

votes, and newcomer Randy West, a village Planning Commission member for eight years, with 665

votes.

Losing his bid for re-election was Patrick McDonnell, a 10-year board veteran, who logged

the fewest votes with 623. Also losing was David Foley, with 635 votes, who was closely

aligned with Crook, and works for him at Synergy Global Solutions in Amherst.

Kasprzak, who entered the race because of Crook's push for dissolution, was at Tantalus

Restaurant not far from Village Hall when the results were announced just before 10 p.m.

Tuesday.

"I took a gamble and stepped up here because of what I believed in," Kasprzak said in an

interview.

"I think people are happy the Village of East Aurora exists," Kasprzak said.

"I am surprised," Kasprzak added. "I had a feeling the race was going to be a race. ...

This is a brand-new venture for me, but I feel confident I can do it."

Crook, who with his family waited for an hour at Village Hall for the results to be

announced, called the election "a great, great victory for democracy and our village."

"I am so proud of this village, and I can't say more than that," he said.

"We relied on the people's sense of duty and obligation to vote for a very important

issue," said West referring to the debate over dissolution. "This was a very positive step for

the preservation of East Aurora."

In North Collins, 35-year-old newcomer Paul Carozzi was the top vote-getter in a three-way

race for two four-year terms on the Village Board.

Carozzi, running for public office for the first time, received 152 votes. Incumbents

Jennie Alessi and Beverly Boltz garnered 106 and 76, respectively.

Boltz and Alessi both voted against putting a village dissolution question on the ballot.

Carozzi said he was not sure whether dissolving the village is a good idea but says the study

that was done needs to be more widely disseminated.

Every other village election in Erie County was uncontested.

In Alden, Robert F. Woods was unopposed for a four-year term as village justice.

Farnham voters elected Virginia Schilling and Jere Hoisington to four-year term on

the Village Board.

Hamburg Mayor Thomas Moses; Trustees Mark Colmerauer and Thomas Tallman; and Justice

Andrew Fleming all were elected to four year terms.

Orchard Park Trustee Stephen Bray was elected to a one-year term on the Village

Board.

Springville voters elected William Krebs to a four-year term as mayor and Gerald

Lohrey and Terry Skelton to four-year terms on the Village Board.

News Staff Reporter Dale Anderson contributed to this report.