ALBANY COUNTY — Although Enterprise readers will have few choices for county posts, many town posts involve real races and, like all New Yorkers, they can vote on two amendments proposed to the state constitution.

Several of the top county posts are uncontested.

Incumbent County Executive Daniel P. McCoy and incumbent Sheriff Craig D. Apple Sr. have no challengers. They are Democrats in a Democrat-dominated county. They both also have the Conservative line.

Incumbent County Comptroller Susan A. Rizzo, a Democrat elected in 2019, is being challenged by Republican Jarrar Hussain.

Family Court Judge Susan M. Kusher has no challengers; she has both the Democratic and Working Families party lines. Neither do the two county coroner candidates — John G. Keegan and Kevin G. Crosier — running for two posts, both on the Democratic line

Four candidates are vying for three posts as Supreme Court Justice in the 3rd Judicial District: Richard Rivera, Daniel C. Lynch, and Sherri J. Brooks-Morton are all running on both the Democratic and Working Families party lines while Dana Salazar is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Amendments

Voters will also be deciding on two amendments to the state constitution.

The first would eliminate the constitutional debt limit for small city school districts, aligning theirs with the limits that apply to rural and suburban districts.

Currently, small city school district borrowing is limited to 5 percent of the average full valuation of taxable real estate over the last five years.

If the proposal passes, small city school districts would, like their suburban and rural counterparts, be subject to a statutory limitation, set at 10 percent of the property tax base, which may be waived by a ballot proposal to do so receiving more than 60 percent of the vote, and with the consent of the Regents of the University of the State of New York. 

The proposal passed overwhelmingly in both the Assembly and Senate in the last two legislative sessions. However, when a similar amendment was put to the voters in 2003, it failed, with 54.2 percent of the public voting against the amendment.

The second proposed amendment would extend the current sewer debt exception for a decade.

The state constitution limits the debt that counties, cities, towns, and villages can incur but has an exception for debt incurred for sewage treatment and disposal construction projects. The current exception expires on Jan. 1, 2024; a “yes” vote would extend that exception till Jsn. 1. 2034.

The exclusion was first added to the constitution in 1963.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli wrote in a memo that the reason New Yorkers would want to extend the sewage indebtedness exclusion is to allow local governments to more easily construct up-to-date sewage facilities or retrofit existing ones.

No one in the Senate or Assembly voted against this amendment, although a few representatives did not vote at all.

Hilltowns

In Westerlo, three candidates are vying for supervisor and four are running for two seats on the town board.

Incumbent Supervisor Matt Kryzak, endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties, is defending his seat from the Democrat-backed Don Morin, of Morin’s Body Works, and planning board member Angela Carkner, who is running on the independent Spend Less Party line. 

For town board, incumbent Peter Mahan, who was elected in 2022 to fill a vacancy, is running for a full four-year term, on the Democratic and Spend Less Party lines. Incumbent Amie Burnside is seeking her third term, on the Republican and Conservative lines. Republicans also backed planning board member Bill Hall for a town board seat, with planning board Chairman Beau Loendorf running for a seat on the Democratic side.

Incumbent Westerlo Clerk Karla Weaver is seeking re-election on the Democratic, Republican, and Conservative party lines, as is incumbent highway superintendent Jody Ostrander. Ostrander’s son, Joshua Ostrander, is running for town justice on the same lines. All three are uncontested.

In Rensselaerville, there had not been a contested town board election since 2017, until this year, when Democrats endorsed sociologist Patricia Byrnes against the Republican Party’s Randall Bates, who has previously served on the town board as well as highway superintendent. Both parties endorsed incumbent Brian Wood. 

Incumbent Rensselaerville Justice Gregory E. Bischoff, a Democrat backed by his own party, is defending his seat from Richard Tollner, who is endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties.

In Berne, there are no contests as the Democrats put up no slate. Incumbent Albert Thiem was first appointed to the Berne Town Board in 2022 to fill a vacancy, while Joseph Martin is making his first run during a stint as planning board chairman. Both are uncontested, as is justice candidate Jeffrey Harvey.

Those three Hilltowns — Westerlo, Berne, and Rensselaerville — fall in District 39 for the Albany County Legislature where the incumbent legislator, Christopher Smith, a Conservative running on the GOP line, is defending his seat against Democrat Hébert Joseph, who’s running on the Working Families and Hilltowns First lines.

In Knox, Supervisor Russ Pokorny, a Democrat, is facing a challenge from the Republican-backed Jamie Berenger. Meanwhile, Republican-backed board members June Springer and Dennis Cyr are uncontested in their runs for re-election. 

Knox falls in District 31, along with Altamont and Guilderland Center, for the Albany County Legislature where Republican Jeff S. Perlee, running on the GOP and Conservative lines, is unchallenged.

New Scotland

Parts of New Scotland fall into three different districts in the Albany County Legislature. In District 33, William Reinhardt is unchallenged, running on the Democratic and Working Families party lines, as is Victoria Plotsky in District 38, running on the Democratic line.

In District 39,  incumbent Christopher Smith, a Conservative running on the GOP line, is defending his seat against Democrat Hébert Joseph, who’s running on the Working Families and Hilltowns First lines.

The New Scotland Town Board race is hotly contested again this year. The same two Republicans, Peter Drao and Charissa Mayer, who came close to Democratic incumbents two years ago are challenging Democratic incumbents Bridgit Burke, seeking a second four-year term, and William Hennessy, seeking a fourth term.

The only other contested race is a re-run of the clerk’s race in 2021. Incumbent Democrat Lisa Williams, who also has the Working Families line, is being challenged by Lori Dollard on the Republican and New Scotland Together lines.

Supervisor Douglas LaGrange is unchallenged as he seeks a fifth two-year term on the Democratic and Conservative party lines. Two other town offices are on the ballot this fall — both uncontested. Incumbent Justice David Wukitsch is running for re-election as is incumbent Highway Superintendent Kenneth Guyer. Both candidates have the Democratic and Conservative party lines.

Guilderland

Parts of Guilderland fall into seven different districts in the Albany County Legislature. In all but one of them, the incumbents are uncontested.

In District 30, incumbent Democrat Dustin Reidy, who also has the Working Families line, is being challenged by Republican Peter Hubbard.

In District 28, Mark Grimm is unchallenged as is Jeff Perlee in District 31. Both of them are running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

The other incumbents are Democrats as are most of the county’s legislators. Frank Commisso, in District 11, also has the Conservative line as does Dennis Feeney in District 29.

Michael Cleary in District 32 is running on just the Democratic line and William Reinhardt in District 33 also has the Working Families line.

The Guilderland Town Board has a four-way race for two seats. Incumbent Councilman Jacob Crawford is running to keep his seat alongside Democratic running mate Gustavos Santos. They are being challenged by Republicans Brian Sheridan, making his second run for town board, and Jaime Ralston, making her first run.

The race for town justice pits Margaret Tabak — on the Democratic and Working Families party lines — against Stephen Chesley, who has Republican and Conservative party backing.

The other posts are uncontested. The incumbent supervisor, Democrat Peter Barber, is unchallenged as he seeks a fifth two-year term; he also has the Conservative line.

Incumbent Lynne Buchanan is also running unopposed for town clerk on the Democratic and Conservative lines.

Robert Haver is running unopposed for highway superintendent, on the Democratic and Conservative lines, because Gregory Wier is retiring from that post. 

Early voting

 Early voting, which began on Saturday, Oct. 28, runs through Sunday, Nov. 5.

On early voting days, polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday.

Voters registered in Albany County may vote during the early voting times, at any one of these locations:

— Albany County Board of Elections at 260 South Pearl St. in Albany;

— Berne firehouse at 30 Canaday Hill Rd. in Berne;

— Bethlehem Lutheran Church Parish Hall at 85 Elm Ave. in Delmar;

— North Bethlehem firehouse at 589 Russell Rd. in Albany;

— Guilderland EMS Station #1 at 200 Centre Drive in Guilderland;

— Pine Grove United Methodist Church at 1580 Central Ave. in Albany;

— Boght Community Fire Department at 8 Preston Dr. in Cohoes; or

— Lynnwood Reformed Church at 3714 Carman Rd. in Guilderland.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Unlike with early voting, residents on Election Day are to vote at their assigned polling places.