and Holly Grosch

BERNE—Though the primary election was held weeks ago, the winner of the Conservative Party nomination for Berne supervisor remains unknown. Incumbent Kevin Crosier and a write-in candidate, Councilman James Hamilton, tied with 12 votes each, according to the official results released Monday by the Albany County Board of Elections.

Richard Stack, chairman of the Albany County Conservative Party, said the executive committee of the party will choose a winner at a meeting later this week. He would not comment on who he thought would be chosen.

Crosier’s was the only name on the ballot. The first-term supervisor has already secured the Republican nomination. Hamilton, who is in his first full term on the town board though he served a partial term before that, has the Democratic nomination. Both men, however, are registered Democrats.

In the Sept. 13 primary, Hamilton won the Independence Party nomination for supervisor with 10 votes. Crosier received four write-in votes and Rudy Stemple, a Republican and one-time supervisor, received one.

Other Hilltown offices

Elsewhere in the Hilltowns, Karen Catalfamo won the Independence and Conservative party nominations for Knox receiver of taxes with four write-in votes for Independence and seven for Conservative.

In Rensselaerville, Jost Nickelsburg won the Conservative Party nomination for supervisor with eight write-in votes to David Bryan’s one. Nickelsburg already has the Republican nomination and Bryan has the Democratic nomination.

The current supervisor, Robert Lansing, a Republican, is running for a town-board seat. He won the Conservative Party nomination with seven write-in votes to Tim Becker’s five and Democratic incumbent Ed Ryder’s one. Lansing appeared on the ballot for the Independence Party nomination and won with 11 votes.

Becker, a Republican, received the Independence nomination for a second seat with six write-in votes. Sherri Pine received four write-in votes, Ryder received three, and Donna Kropp received one.

The three-member Rensselaerville board of assessors has two open seats. Though he was the only name on the ballot, Sean McCormick, a Democrat, lost the Conservative Party nomination with no votes. Republicans Eric Sutton and Donna Kropp secured the two nominations with five votes each. The pair also won the Independence Party nominations. Sutton received 11 votes and Kropp received nine write-in votes.

New Scotland

The Republican candidates for town board and supervisor, who were endorsed by the Conservative Party, won the party line, although some Democratic candidates came close with a write-in campaign.

For the two council positions on the Conservative ballot, Democrats Wayne LaChappelle and Margaret Neri received 33 write-in votes each. Republican candidates, Douglas LaGrange received 46 votes and incumbent Councilwoman Andrea Gleason, 39.

For supervisor, incumbent Ed Clark received 44 votes and challenger Elizabeth Stewart, a Democrat, received 34 write-in votes.

For town justice, there was both a Conservative and Independence party primary. In the Conservative primary, incumbent justice Thomas Dolin, a Democrat, won with 55 votes. Republican challenger Susan Aron-DeFronzo received 26 write-in votes.

In the Independence primary for town judge, Dolin received 41 votes and Aron-DeFronzo 15.