ALBANY COUNTY — There are five contested races and two unchallenged incumbents seeking re-election in the Albany County Legislature this fall within the Enterprise coverage area of Guilderland, New Scotland, and the Hilltowns:

— In District 29, covering Fort Hunter in Guilderland, Republican incumbent Lee Carman, who is serving his first term and also has the Conservative line, is being challenged by Democrat Dennis Feeney, who also has the Independence Party endorsement;

— In District 30, covering Westmere and the Heritage, Oxford Heights, Woodlake, and Hawthorne Garden apartment areas of Guilderland, Democrat Bryan Clenahan, who was appointed in June to fill the seat left vacant when Dennis Feeny moved out of the district, is running unopposed;
— In District 31, covering western Guilderland including the village of Altamont, two-term incumbent William Aylward, a Democrat also endorsed by the Working Families Party, is being challenged by Republican Ted Danz, who is also endorsed by the Conservative Party. (See the Sept. 20 Enterprise, or go on-line to www.altamontenterprise.com under "Archives" for Sept. 20, 2007);

— In District 32, covering Guilderland along Route 20 from McKownville to Route 146 and from Guilderland Center to the New Scotland town line, Democrat Mary Lou Connolly, a four-term incumbent, also endorsed by the Conservative and Independence parties, is pitted against Anton Konev, who is running on the Republican Party line;

— In District 33, covering northeastern New Scotland including the village of Voorheesville, Democrat Herbert Reilly, with Independence and Working Families Party endorsements, a two-term incumbent, is running against Republican Patrick Greene;

— In District 38, covering southwestern New Scotland and Westerlo, Democrat Charles Houghtaling, a six-term incumbent with Conservative and Independence party endorsements who chairs the legislature, is running unopposed; and
— In District 39, covering Berne, Knox, and Rensselaerville, Democrat Alexander "Sandy" Gordon, who has held his seat since 1996, is being challenged by Republican Travis Stevens. (For earlier coverage of the race and of the primary, where Gordon defeated Kevin Crosier, go on-line to www.altamontenterprise.com under "Archives" for June 14, July 19, and Set. 20, all for 2007, under "Hilltowns.")

Legislators serve four-year terms and are paid $20,298 annually. They meet monthly in the legislative chambers of the Albany County Courthouse. The current legislature, with 39 members, has 29 Democrats; seven Republicans; one member in the Working Families Party; one in the Independence Party; and one with the endorsement of the Independence, Conservative, and Working Families parties.

Issues

The Enterprise has asked the candidates about their jobs, their goals, their accomplishments, and their reasons for running as well as interviewing them on the following issues:
— Size of the legislature: Should the legislature with 39 members, each paid about $20,000, be down-sized or is the current size necessary for adequate representation"
— Sales tax: When the county legislature adopted an added 1-percent sales tax, which some see as a regressive tax, affecting the poor, it was supposed to be a temporary measure. The sales tax rate in Albany County is currently 8 percent, half of which is retained by the state; the remaining 4 percent is shared by the county and local municipalities. Sales tax provides about 40 percent of the county's revenues. Many municipalities within the county have become dependent on the added funds. Should the tax be repealed or kept"
— Agriculture: The legislature recently adopted a right-to-farm law, which protects farmers from complaints by neighboring developments, but some have suggested it should do much more, taking an active role in countywide planning. Should the county play a role in maintaining local farms and, if so, what should it be"
— Nursing home: In 2005, the legislature developed a plan for a new county nursing home with 450 beds, but then, in 2006, the Berger Commission, put together by then-Governor George Pataki and the state legislature to evaluate health care in New York, recommended the Albany County Nursing Home and the Ann Lee Infirmary be rebuilt into a "unified facility," and reduced by 345 beds. The county executive has declared a moratorium on accepting new applicants to the county’s nursing home and some residents are getting sent out of the county or even out of the state for care. What should be done"
— Albany convention center: A massive convention center, to be built near the Times Union Center, has been proposed as a joint city, state, and county project. What role should the county play"
— Shared services: Berne Supervisor Kevin Crosier and county officials came up with a preliminary plan last summer to merge their highway departments in an effort to be more efficient and save money. Public opinion soon echoed the concerns of town highway workers and, by last October, the plan was essentially dead. The Commission on Local Government Efficiency, formed by Governor Eliot Spitzer, released its finding last week on streamlining the state’s more than 4,200 local government entities to help reduce property taxes. They include suggestions on consolidating town and county highway services as well as water, sewer, and storm water systems. Should Albany County consolidate services" And, if so, which ones, how, and when"