Dems sweep clean



BERNE - Democrats swept the town board and assessor races in Tuesday's election.

In the town board race, Democratic incumbent James Hamilton, seeking his second term, was the top vote-getter, with 522 votes.
"I'm pretty happy with the outcome," said Hamilton, adding that it appears the majority of the residents feel he is doing a good enough job to keep him in office for another four years.

Democrats outnumber Republicans in Berne by nearly 3 to 1. About 40 percent of Berne's enrolled voters cast their ballots on Tuesday.

After the polls closed, town clerk Patricia Favreau, and a courier sat in her office, awaiting a call for final results. The call finally came.

Because of a voting machine malfunction in the morning, about 90 voters at the East Berne polling place had to fill out emergency ballots.

Hamilton's running mate, Democrat Peter Vance, in his first run for the town board, received 456 votes. Democrat Carol Crounse is retiring from the board; she ran successfully for assessor.
Hamilton, a college professor, said Vance will make "a tremendous contribution to the town board."
"He's got some good ideas," Hamilton said, adding that he agrees with many of them strongly. Vance is concerned about some of the same things he has brought up at town board meetings, Hamilton said.
"He may help us move some things along," he said.

Republican Rudy Stempel, who owns a local lumber mill and had once been town supervisor, got 339 votes. Randy Rapp, a carpenter making his first run, got 316 votes.
Both Stempel and Rapp are both lifelong Berne residents, Hamilton said, and he appreciates their input in the race. He added, "There were only two positions open."

Hamilton, who made an unsuccessful run for supervisor two years ago, said he has no plans at this time to try again in two years.
Vance said he stands by statements he made during his campaign. "I'm going to be concerned with process in terms of planning and zoning," he said, adding that he wants to ensure that all "information gets out to the taxpayers."

Some boards, such as the town's planning board and zoning board of appeals, are governed by posting legal notices, he said. But, he said, if a board is going to talk about anything other than what has been published through legal notices, agendas should be made available to the public at least a week before meetings.

Asked what, if any, issues swayed voters, Vance said he doesn't know whether different issues influenced voters' decisions.
Those in the community who are concerned about planning and zoning are "a distinct minority of people," he said.
"People are being active and active voters," Vance said.
"Now, people in East Berne are showing more concern," he said.
Hamilton said he is unsure whether there were issues "to make that big of an impact." All four candidates felt the same on many of the issues, he said. The Democrats, he said, "may be more in line with what the residents want at this point in time."

In the assessor's race, Democratic incumbent Brian Crawford, the chairman of the assessors, received 571 votes, and Crounse garnered 531.

Republican candidates Paul Whitbeck and Dan Marshall, both making their first runs for the office, received 262 and 211, respectively.