ALBANY COUNTY — Chief City Auditor Susan Rizzo on Tuesday defeated Albany City Treasurer Darius Shahinfar in the Democratic primary for Albany County Comptroller to replace the retiring Michael Conners on the ballot this November. Rizzo will face Republican David Yule in the fall. 

Unofficial results from the Albany County Board of Elections show Rizzo with 9,098 votes, 51 percent, to Shahinfar’s 8,023 votes, 45 percent, and 633 write-ins. 

“I’m proud of the campaign we ran; I’m thankful to the voters of the Democratic Party and to my friends and family who stood by me from the freezing cold of February and March to the hot and rainy days in May and June,” Rizzo told The Enterprise on Wednesday. “I took my campaign to the people, despite not having as much support from politicians. I owe my win to the people.”

She said that is looking forward to continuing her message of transparency and fiscal responsibility, and is looking forward to working with Conners on a smooth transition, and believes that she can work just as hard as for the taxpayer as she did to win her campaign. 

A total of 20,193 ballots were cast on Tuesday, according to the board of elections, representing about 11 percent voter turnout across the county. 

Rizzo was appointed chief city auditor the day after winning the September 2017 Democratic primary and then won the seat outright just a couple of months later in the general election. Prior to working in government, Rizzo had spent 30 years in the hotel industry.