David Erickson, Knox

BERNE — Russell Victor Gladieux was a natural leader who excelled at all he put his mind to. He died on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, at the age of 81. 

Although the Hilltowns, like virtually all municipalities in the United States, received a substantial amount of money from the federal government’s COVID-19 relief program, the budgets for Knox, Westerlo, and Rensselaerville for 2022 are largely similar to those made in less eventful years.

RENSSELAERVILLE — As it was in 2019, so it is again in 2021: Rensselaerville’s election was comp

Several positions were open for election in Westerlo this year, but only the town justice seat was contested — and now the race is too close to call. Democratic incumbent Ken Mackey is ahead of Republican Stuart Elderd by two votes with absentee ballots yet to be counted. 

Knox Democrat Russell Pokorny has a lead of 27 votes in the race for supervisor over his Republican-backed opponent, Kregg Grippo, in the unofficial election results, which don’t count absentee ballots. Those same results suggest that the Republican incumbents up for election are staying put.

Unofficial election results show that the Berne Republicans swept away their Democratic competition in all contested races, and the absentee ballots are likely to boost their advantage, thanks to Highway Superintendent and county GOP chairman Randy Bashwinger’s solicitation of many of those ballots.