An 18-year-old high school senior has won a seat on his Long Island school board, becoming the youngest elected official in New York state in a campaign that took a bizarre last-minute twist over accusations of stolen information.
In a record turnout Tuesday, Josh Lafazan was elected to the Syosset school board, winning by more than 2,000 votes.
Ahead of the election, the high school senior and class president faced accusations that his father stole sensitive records from the school.
A robo-call message to Syosset parents ahead of the election stated: "Jeffrey Lafazan unlawfully removed district records that contained the names and addresses of residents. He removed the records without permission and ran away."
Josh Lafazan called it "an obvious smear-campaign tactic, a last-minute Hail Mary thrown by the school district administration."
Still, the controversy appeared to have mobilized young voters to the polls Tuesday, resulting in a record turnout.
Jeffrey Lafazan, meanwhile, said his wife has returned the documents to the school.
Local
He maintains he did not know he was not allowed to take the records, which contained the names of voters who requested absentee ballots.
There were five candidates on the ballot for three slots on the board.
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