HILLTOWNS — Alexander "Sandy" Gordon, the incumbent Albany County legislator representing the Hilltowns, beat challenger Kevin Crosier in a landslide Tuesday, according to unofficial Democratic primary results from the county’s board of elections.
"I think it’s a definite comment by the community, by the constituents in the district," said Gordon, a Knox farmer who has represented the 39th District — the Hilltowns of Berne, Knox, and Rensselaerville — since 1996. "I think that the voters articulated that they respect my authenticity," he said. Gordon said he was "not only surprised, but elated" by the results.

Yesterday, with all eight voting districts reporting, Gordon had 575 votes; Crosier had 255 votes. Crosier works as an Albany firefighter. An enrolled Democrat, he has twice won terms as Berne supervisor on the GOP line.

Crosier, endorsed by the Working Families and Conservative parties, also received 25 votes Tuesday on the Conservative line.
Asked yesterday if he will continue to run on the small-party lines, Crosier said, "I still need to discuss that with my family."

Absentee ballots have not yet been counted.

About one-third of enrolled Democrats in the district voted. Unofficial results show Gordon swept all three Hilltowns:

— In Rensselaerville, Gordon received 152 votes, and Crosier received 76 votes;
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— In Knox, Gordon received 128 votes, and Crosier received 57 votes; and
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— In Berne, Gordon received 295 votes, and Crosier received 122 votes.
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Gordon will now face Republican Travis Stevens in the Nov. 6 election. Democrats in the Hilltowns outnumber Republicans by more than 2 to 1.
"I think I received the strongest support from the people most concerned with issues within their community. They’ve said they’ve accepted my leadership," Gordon said.

Last week, Gordon’s wife, Mary Ellen, died after battling lung cancer.
"I had a just tremendously helpful and positively spirited group of people that volunteered in every aspect of the campaign," said Gordon.

In response to Mary Ellen Gordon’s death, Crosier announced at the Berne Town Board meeting last week that he would cease campaigning until after the services.
"My wife’s a cancer survivor, and my wife and I decided to stop campaigning and respect Mr. Gordon and his family," Crosier said.

In 2001, Crosier defeated long-time Democratic Berne supervisor Alan Zuk.
"Not only did it worry me," Gordon said of Crosier’s earlier defeat of an incumbent, "it worried people that maybe bought into that campaign and have second thoughts at this time."
"When you’re running in any election, it’s up to the voters to decide the election. That’s democracy. And nothing’s ever taken for granted," said Crosier. "So I just worked hard, ran a positive campaign. I ran on the issues I know are important to people in the Hilltowns."

The issues

While campaigning, Crosier emphasized senior housing, a summer youth employment program, open-space preservation, and bringing Community Caregivers to the Hilltowns, he said.
"Those are all issues that I think are very important to people, and I worked on them as town supervisor, and I can"continue to"work on them," Crosier said.

Gordon and Crosier have differed on their views of towns consolidating and sharing services with the county. Crosier backed a plan to merge Berne’s highway department with the county, which was adamantly opposed by town highway workers and was not supported by the members of the Berne Town Board.
"I think that was an issue for many people," Gordon said. "And I think they obviously want an open process where they’re not blindsided by the activities of those they’ve entrusted to represent them," he said.

Gordon took an unpopular stand at a Rensselaerville Town Board meeting earlier this year when the town board and the crowd at Town Hall called for the closing of the Cass Residential facility for wayward youths. The state has since announced Cass will close.
Asked if consolidation and campaigning to obtain money from the county for open-space preservation affected the voters’ decision, Crosier replied, "I don’t know. I can’t read the minds of the voters. I can only tell you we ran a good campaign, a positive one."
"I can still get money for open-space preservation as town supervisor. I can still work on those initiatives," Crosier said.

Taxes were less of an issue in the race. In 2006, the county’s tax levy decreased.
"We have tried to live within our means, and"we’re heading into another budget cycle and the objective is still the same," Gordon said.
Keeping taxes low has always been one of my priorities, Crosier said. "I hope it’s a priority of the taxpayers."

The county’s right-to-farm law, which Gordon co-sponsored, recently passed unanimously in the Albany County Legislature; the law protects farmers from complaints by neighboring developments.
Asked if the law had an effect on the voters’ response, Gordon said, "I think it signified the kind of leadership I provide. I tell people what I’m looking for. I work hard to make it grow to the potential to being passed unanimously, and think people like that. And I think it’s a completely more desirable option in how to lead," Gordon said.

Gordon has been a proponent of wind and solar energy, writing a local law to exempt county sales tax on the purchase and installation of residential solar systems, and resolutions to support net metering for wind-generated electricity.

Crosier has encouraged promoting the Hilltowns for recreation and business and bringing small business back. In October, Crosier said, he is giving a presentation in Rhinebeck about the town’s Big Backyard Program, which was created for owners of large lots to lease their land for recreational use.
"If you want to have a rural economy, you have to promote it," Crosier said. "You have to promote what you have so people come to buy the products and people come to enjoy what we all take for granted," he said. The four Hilltowns need to promote themselves as one unit, he said, not separately.