Photos: Randy wins
Absentee ballots were opened on Wednesday morning to decide the winner of the close race for highway superintendent in Berne, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 3 to 1. The Republican won by 26 votes. "The fat lady has sung," said the Democratic Party chairman.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Randy Bashwinger, left, a Republican who widened his lead from 17 to 26 votes in the election for Berne highway superintendent, sits with Thomas Spargo as the absentee ballots are counted in a close race against Democrat Ed Hampton, the acting superintendent. Bashwinger said Spargo was there on his request, volunteering as someone knowledgeable in Election Law. Out of Berne’s three voting districts, its smallest, in the northeastern part of the town, had the largest margin of absentee ballots for Bashwinger. Hampton netted one additional vote from its second most populous district and lost by three in its most populous district in the western half of the town.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Until the last vote: Absentee ballots for Berne were opened Wednesday morning at the offices of Albany County Board of Elections, where, seated from the front, Gerald O’Malley, chair of the Berne Democratic Committee; Peggy Warner, chairwoman of the Berne Republican Committee; Thomas Spargo, a former town judge; and Republican Randy Bashwinger, a candidate for highway superintendent, examine envelopes. The total was 610 votes for Bashwinger and 584 for Ed Hampton, the acting highway superintendent.