In New Scotland GOP’s Clark and LaGrange victorious,
Dems celebrate majority with Neri win

NEW SCOTLAND — Election results were mixed in this rural town on the edge of suburbia where enrolled voters fall roughly into thirds — Republicans, Democrats, and those enrolled in small parties or no party.
Board member Andrea Gleason was ousted from her post in Tuesday’s election after eight years as a GOP council member; the Democrats maintained a three-to-two majority on the town board with attorney Margaret "Peg" Neri securing a seat; and Republican Douglas LaGrange received the most votes of the four town-board candidate after marginally losing two years ago.

According to unofficial results yesterday from the Albany County Board of Elections, in the council race: LaGrange received 1,618 votes; Gleason 1,493; Neri 1,562; and Democrat Wayne LaChappelle 1,384.

Supervisor Ed Clark was re-elected on the Republican line and he will start his third, two-year term, in January. According to the board of elections, he received 1,846 votes and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Stewart received 1,265.

Two unopposed incumbents were re-elected to their jobs as well: Town Clerk Diane Deschenes received 2,129 votes, and highway Superintendent Darrell Duncan 2,240 votes. Both are Democrats.

For town justice, Republican newcomer Susan Aron-DeFronzo lost with 1,102 votes; incumbent Judge Thomas Dolin, endorsed by the Democratic, Independence, and Conservative parties won with 1,925 votes.

The GOP loss

As the last votes were being tallied at the Republican camp in the American Legion Hall in Voorheesville around 9:40 p.m., about a dozen men, on edge, gathered around Peter Belenchia, who was typing the results into a lap-top computer.

Gleason was down by 60 votes with results from two districts still to come in, Belenchia announced. Belenchia used to be the Republican Party chairman and was Clark’s campaign manager this year.
"I’m ahead but it doesn’t do me any good without Andrea," LaGrange said with a sideways frown to a friend standing nearby.

The female candidates were not clustering around the results but rather lingering in the room, greeting supporters.
"I’m very fatalistic about it," Gleason said, explaining: If she wins, she wins; if she doesn’t, then there’s a reason for it.

When asked what she did that day, when some might expect pacing, Gleason said she went around to the voting districts and then went home and did some laundry.
"I had a really good team...a really strong team that worked together, campaigned together, and really wanted to win," she said. This year, there were more pressing issues in town, she said, "with some big decisions to be made, things to plan for, with more futuristic planning than there has been."

About five minutes later, the rest of the election results were tallied and Gleason had lost to Neri by 69 votes.

The hall took on a somber tone then, although LaGrange had won with the most votes, and Supervisor Clark won his re-election by 581 votes.
Clark, who previously served as Voorheesville’s long-time mayor, said he was gratified that the town of New Scotland supported him, but he "certainly would have preferred" if Gleason had won.
Gleason was a great board member, Clark said. She was very caring, and did a lot of things for the public, "...She always voted her conscience — I don’t know what we’re going to have now," Clark said.
An obviously heavy-hearted Gleason was asked if she had concerns for the future of the town and the board: "Not at all," she quickly responded. With Clark as the steering force, he’ll keep his ethics and will lead the board, she said. "I’m glad he’s still the leader."
Gleason, a retired Voorheesville school teacher, had touted herself as a candidate for senior citizens. When asked if she was worried now about a voice for the elderly, Gleason said that there will always be someone for them, and added, "I’ll still be there for them." Gleason is very active in the town’s senior-services programs and the Community Caregivers, she said.
"I liked being there for the people...I liked talking to the people, representing them," Gleason said through welling eyes; she gently wiped a forming tear away. "It was an important part of my career, here — working for the people," she said.

Dems celebrate

At the Democratic headquarters, across the street at Herbert Reilly’s home, the mood was one of jubilation.
"We’re very excited to have a majority on the board," said an enthusiastic Elizabeth Stewart, who had just lost her bid for supervisor.

The most important thing was keeping a Democratic majority on the board said Stewart who works as a business-development manager and ran a campaign questioning Clark’s competency in dealing with such issues as public water.
"Things can move forward with the board forcing the issues," she said. Stewart said she anticipates some very "energized meetings."

The board might be able to make things happen, when the supervisor hasn’t, Stewart said.
"I look forward to working with Peg," Councilmen Richard Reilly said. He is the son of Herbert Reilly, formerly New Scotland’s supervisor and currently an Albany County Legislator.
Neri has integrity and doesn’t have an ax to grind, he said. The Democratic majority "will allow us to keep trying to move issues like water forward," Reilly said, which is "difficult when there’s a sense that the supervisor’s office is totally disengaged."

Neri’s plans
"I’m thrilled that I won..." Neri said, promising to work really hard on things like the complex land issues. "Working hard but listening very hard as well," she said. Of immediate interest to her is land use in the town’s commercial area and keeping spending low.
Reilly said, "I can speak for all of us when I say we’ll miss Scott." Reilly will now be the most veteran council member with 6 years experience.

Democratic Councilman Scott Houghtaling chose to not run again after serving for 12 years on the board.

During Neri’s campaign she stated she was running because she wanted to take off where Houghtaling left off, modeling her public service after him.

On the campaign trail, Neri said she heard from many people who expressed an interest in leaving the hassles of a large home to move into senior housing.

The senior townhouses and condos in the proposed planned unit development on Route 85 and the senior apartments in the village, are things that New Scotland needs now, Neri said.

With the Kensington Woods proposal for 286 up-scale residences, a compromise needs to be made, Neri said. All the board members need to be informed and educated. In order for everyone in town to compromise — everyone has to talk honestly about what they want out of the project, Neri said.

She wants to enact laws to preserve and protect green space, she said. There is a lot of wildlife on the old Tall Timbers property where Kensington Woods is planned, she said, and, rather than rezoning, the town board should create and pass conservation laws which will have the same effect as zoning laws, Neri said.
Neri is a good addition to the town board, said Councilwoman Deborah Baron, a Democrat. Neri has an open mind and "isn’t afraid to jump in," she said
"I’ll miss Andrea," Baron said; she filled an important slot for the town.

LaGrange said, he hopes Neri will leave party politics behind when she sits on the board.

LaGrange said that he is going to pattern himself after some of the elected board members who have come before him and worked hard in a non-partisan way.

Conflict of interest"

Neri’s husband, Louis Neri, is employed as the zoning board and planning board attorney.

This legal counsel position is a yearly appointment, voted on by the town board. The post pays $11,181 annually.

Clark said that it is a conflict of interest for Neri since board members organize and vote on the budget, and do the appointing.
"Can’t do it," Clark said. She’ll be "voting on matters of significance to her family’s interest."

Clark said that Louis Neri should not hold the post at all, and that it is not possible to just have Peg Neri abstain from voting on matters pertaining to her husband.

Neri said, when she initially discussed with her husband running for town board, he did contact the Association of Towns and asked for an informal opinion about her running — the request had to come from a current town employee, Mrs. Neri explained.
"They were of the opinion it wasn’t a conflict of interest," Mrs. Neri said, she had the right to run.

When asked if they had asked for an opinion on, if she wins, as she has, would it be a conflict of interest for them both to hold their post at the same time — Neri said that the association of town’s wouldn’t issue an opinion on that one.

Neri said that she and her husband will together make a decision.
She added that they did not yet know if he would even be appointed. When asked if she would abstain from voting, Mrs. Neri said, "We haven’t gotten to that point at all yet."

She said that about 15 years ago, though, there was a Republican town board member, whose husband was either the planning board or zoning board chair.
New York State’s General Municipal Law defines "interest" as "a direct or indirect pecuniary or material benefit accruing to a municipal officer...as the result of a contract with the municipality which such officer...serves."
A municipal officer is "deemed to have an interest in the contract of his spouse... except a contract of employment," the law reads.
The town of New Scotland’s Ethics Law says that no employee "shall have any interest financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, or engage in any business transaction or professional activity, or incur any obligation of any nature which in substantial conflict with or reasonably gives the appearance of being in conflict with the proper discharge of his duties..."

Judges race
"I want to thank everyone for their support," said Democrat Thomas Dolin, New Scotland’s Judge for 12 years.
When asked if he was going to try anything new for his 13th year, Dolin responded, "I’m always trying to make it a more user-friendly experience."

Appearing in court is not a pleasant experience, he said with a smile, but he wants to make it as comfortable as he can, such as by offering alternative court sessions at times working people with children can attend.
"I’m happy with the results," Susan Aron-DeFronzo said of her first run for judge. "I did fairly well" against a long term incumbent and former democratic party chairman.

Aron-DeFronzo received 1,102 votes against Justice Thomas Dolin’s 1,925 votes.

She said she worked really hard campaigning and met a lot of great people — it was a great experience, she said. Aron-DeFronzo said she looks forward to getting back to some of the things she enjoys, like spending more time with her elementary-school-aged daughter
Aron-DeFronzo congratulated her opponent — and then added, "He’s a good person and has been a gentlemen throughout the whole process... I respect that."