Absentee ballots keep Democrats as victors in Guilderland

Enterprise file photo — Melissa Hale-Spencer

Still on top: Absentee ballots kept Christine Napierski, right, and Amanda Beedle — pictured on Election Night — as the winners in a six-way race for two Guilderland Town Board seats.

GUILDERLAND — Absentee ballots did not alter the Democrats’ clean sweep of the Nov. 2 election in Guilderland.

In the hotly contested six-way race for two town board seats, Christine Napierski was still the top vote-getter by a substantial margin, according to results posted on Nov. 17 by the Albany County Board of Elections.

She received 3,666 votes on the Democratic line and 605 on the Working Families line for a total of 4,271 or 26.18 percent of the vote.

Amanda Beedle, who, as the Democratic Committee’s choice, was Naperiski’s foe in the primary but her running mate in the general election, came in next with 3,340 votes on the Democratic line and 411 on the Conservative line for a total of 3,751 votes or 22.99 percent.

Beedle, who had worked for the town and serves on the planning board, was making her first run for office. Napierski, a lawyer, had briefly served as town justice before the Democratic Committee chose another candidate for that post, inspiring Napierski to push for a primary rather than a caucus system to select Democratic candidates.

Napierski then mounted a primary challenge in June with Kevin McDonald in which the major issue was development. They faced off against incumbent Councilman Paul Pastore and Beedle.

McDonald had joined some of his neighbors in suing Pyramid, and temporarily halting its plans to build a Costco and 222-unit apartment complex next to McDonald’s neighborhood. As a planning board member, Beedle had voted in favor of Pyramid’s plans and Pastore, as a town board member, had voted to appeal the lower court decision.

Democratic Supervisor Peter Barber, unchallenged in the Nov. 2 election, had argued successfully in court along with Pyramid and the lower court decision was overturned so Pyramid could proceed with its projects.

Meanwhile, two Republicans entered the town board race: pediatrician Brian Sheridan and Amanda Knasel, who works in Sheridan’s office.

Sheridan came in just 337 votes behind Beedle; he received more Republican votes — 3,414 — than Beedle did Democratic votes but he had no second-party line. Sheridan received 20.93 percent of the vote.

Knasel, also without a second-party line, came in fourth with 3,039 Republican votes for 18.63 percent.

McDonald campaigned vigorously on just the Working Families line and came in fifth with 1,099 votes for 6.74 percent.

Pastore, who did not actively campaign, got 718 votes or 4.40 percent.

There were 22 write-in votes for town board or .13 percent.

Barber received 4,413 Democratic votes (72.36 percent) and 1,517 Conservative votes (24.87 percent) for a total of 5,930 votes or 97.23 percent. There were 169 write-in votes, which is 2.77 percent.

Lynne Buchanan was unchallenged for town clerk. She received 4,672 Democratic votes (71.50 percent) and 1,799 Conservative votes (27.53 percent) for 99.04 percent. There were 63 write-in votes, less than 1 percent.

Denise Randall was also unchallenged for town justice.  She got 4,254 votes on the Democratic line (65.49 percent), 1,626 votes on the Conservative line (25.03 percent), and 544 votes on the Working Families line (8.37 percent) for a total of 6,424 or 98.89 percent. There were 72 write-in votes or 1.11 percent.

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