Democrats win in New Scotland
The Enterprise — Sean Mulkerrin
Tuesday’s winners: From right to left, New Scotland Supervisor Doug LaGrange, Highway Superintendent Ken Guyer, and Councilman Dan Leinung were returned to their respective positions in town government on Nov. 4.
NEW SCOTLAND — Election night in New Scotland ended in the same way it has for the past two decades: Democratic wins across the board.
In the race for town board, Democratic incumbents Adam Greenberg and Dan Leinung bested their Republican rivals Craig Shufelt and Christopher Mielke to earn four-year terms on the town board, according to unofficial results from the Albany County Board of Elections.
Supervisor Doug LaGrange, Town Clerk Lisa Williams, Highway Superintendent Ken Guyer, and Town Justice Bob Johnson were all unopposed.
Greenberg was the night’s top vote-getter, with 1,686 ballots cast in his favor. Leinung was next with 1,634 votes, followed by Shufelt with 1,3030, and Mielke with 1,280.
“Adam and I put in a lot of hard work this year,” Leinung told The Enterprise on Election Night. When he and Greenberg were out speaking with residents, he said, “We asked them, ‘Hey, any big issues?’ … And you know, they say, ‘No. We think the town’s being run well.’”
Greenberg said, “I am happy that the people of New Scotland are well informed and pay attention and understand when certain people are being disingenuous.”
Republicans in town sought to make incorrect and nefarious ties between Greenberg’s vote to approve battery energy storage systems in town and his own application to install two BESS in properties he owns in New Scotland.
Shufelt did not immediately return an Election Night request seeking comment; Mielke could not be reached.
As for his plans for the next four years, Greenberg said he’ll be working to implement recommendations made in the town’s recently-adopted Natural Resource Inventory, while also pursuing grant opportunities for a town-wide water study — one of the main recommendations made by the report.
There are 7,575 registered voters in New Scotland, according to enrollment figures from Albany County: 2,879 are Democrats; 1,779 are Republicans; 230 Conservatives; 25 are members of the Working Families Party; while another approximately 2,700 are unenrolled or are enrolled in a party that falls under “Other.”
