BERNE—A Berne councilman will try to become town supervisor in November.

The Berne Democratic Committee has decided to sponsor Councilman James Hamilton for supervisor. Hamilton is in the middle of his first full term on the Berne Town Board.
"I think he’ll be a great choice for supervisor," said Gerald O’Malley, chairman of Berne Democratic Committee.

Hamilton is a teacher of technology at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

The current supervisor, Kevin Crosier, is a registered Democrat, but ran as a Republican four years ago. The rest of the current town board members are Democrats.
At the Democratic caucus last week, O’Malley said, some among the 233 who attended nominated Crosier for the position, but he declined. However, O’Malley said, "Kevin isn’t my choice for supervisor."

As town board members, Hamilton and Democrat Carol Crounse voted against rezoning the hamlet of Berne from largely residential to mixed-use earlier this year. It was one of the most divisive issues in the town in years.

Two town board seats are open for this year’s election. The Democrats have selected incumbent Joseph Golden to run along with Wayne Emory, a former Berne-Knox-Westerlo School Board member. Councilman Mark Huth will not seek reelection, O’Malley said.

Huth said during his last race for office that he would not run for another term this year.

The Democrats have chosen incumbents for the remaining available positions: Patricia Favreau for town clerk, Raymond Storm for highway superintendent, Robert Motschmann for assessor, Kenneth Bunzey for town justice, and O’Malley for tax collector.

The Democrats have yet to discuss which issues they will focus on during the campaign, O’Malley said. That is the topic of their next meeting, he said.