A frequently nasty fight over control of the Buffalo school board is moving into its final hours, with results uncertain. It's an election that has been filled with ugly and expensive propaganda about South Buffalo candidate Carl Paladino sent by unknown people from a New York City mailing permit and some very positive mail from the same mailing permit for some candidates.
Paladino says it's coming from New York State United Teachers. But the union has been vague about whether or not it's responsible.
There are three vacant seats being filled: the Park District seat vacated by Lou Petrucci, which Paladino is running for, and seats currently filled by Ralph Hernandez and Rosalyn Taylor. Both were thrown off the ballot by the Board of Elections for not filing enough valid signatures.
Republican Elections Commissioner Ralph Mohr tells WBFO News he is expecting a big turnout.
"It has received a great deal of attention in the media. While in a typical school board election we get about a four percent turnout, we are anticipating a turnout higher than that. In some of the districts, where they are highly contested it may even exceed somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 15 percent," said Mohr.
Mohr says winners may not be clear until next week if there are a lot of contested ballots or absentee ballots to be counted.
All regular city polling places will be open with voting starting Tuesday, May 7 at 6 a.m.
