All seats in Berne contested: town clerk, assessor, town justice, tax collector

BERNE — In the town of Berne, all seats up for re-election are contested. Many of the Republican-backed candidates, who are enrolled in various parties, are challengers to an all-Democratic slate.

While Conservative backing went to both Democratic- and Republican-backed candidates, the Republican slate also gained all Indepence Party backings, in part through a write-in campaign as the county party had nominated mostly Democratic candidates for the slots.

The Enterprise recently covered the candidates running for supervisor, town council, and highway superintendent. There are also: two seats up for town justice, two seats up for town assessor, one seat up for tax collector, and one seat up for town clerk:

William Keal, a Republican, is running for town clerk on the Republican, Conservative, and Independence lines against incumbent Anita Clayton, a Democrat backed by the town Democrats;

Rick Otto, a Republican running on the Conservative, Independence and Republican lines, and Mary Alice Molgard, a Democrat running on the Republican and Independence lines, are challenging incumbents Albert Raymond, a Democrat running on the Democratic line, and Alan Zuk, a Democrat running on the Democratic and Conservative lines, for town justice;

Joanne Brady, a Democrat running on the Republican and Independence line, is challenging incumbent Gerald O’Malley, a Democrat running on the Democratic and Conservative lines, for tax collector; and

Kim Collins, who enrolled in the Independence Party and is running on the Independence and Republican lines, and Jen Wright, a Democrat running on the Independence and Republican lines, are challenging incumbent Democrats Brian Crawford and Melanie Bunzey, who are both running on the Democratic and Conservative lines, for town assessor;

The Enterprise has interviewed each candidate running for these positions.

 

More Hilltowns News

  • Albany County, in one of its first acts as owner of the property, has fixed up the road leading up to Switzkill Farm as it prepares for more improvements down the line. 

  • Berne Councilwoman Melanie laCour voiced her concerns at the board’s May meeting about the fact that the town’s ambulance expense was left out of the 2025 budget, making it unclear how the town will pay for a $225,000 expense at the end of the year when all revenue is already attached to other expenses and there’s little left in savings. 

  • The Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education unanimously adopted Superintendent Bonnie Kane’s $24.7 million budget for the 2025-26 school year, which will go to a public vote on May 20. 

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