Dems dominate, Gage keeps seat



KNOX - Democrats returned to a position of dominance Tuesday night as the longtime supervisor, Michael Hammond, had a decisive win, and newcomer Mary Ellen Nagengast got the most votes for town board.
"It feels good," said Hammond. The town's supervisor since 1974, Hammond said yesterday, "Every town board meeting is a challenge."

At each meeting, he said, there's something new and exciting.
"And I think those are the driving forces to seek re-election," Hammond said.

On election night, Nagengast sat in the basement of Town Hall Tuesday night with her son by her side as election officials read results. She was the top vote-getter in a four-way race for two town board seats, garnering 529 votes. In her campaign, Nagengast, a mother of two children who attend Berne-Knox-Westerlo schools, said the board, which has no members with children attending the school, needs to bridge the gap.

But the Republicans will maintain a presence on the board after getting a foothold in Knox four years ago. It appears Republican incumbent Councilwoman Patricia Gage, with 467 votes, will retain her seat. Absentee ballots will be counted next week.
"Obviously, I was pleased," Gage said. "The voters spoke, and they wanted at least one person of the opposing party on the board," she said. Over half of the town's enrolled voters cast ballots on Tuesday.

In Knox, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 5 to 3.

Democrats had dominated the town board for decades. But, in 2003, two Republicans - Gage and Joseph Best - contested the Democrats paperwork in court and the Democrats were removed from the ballot. Before 2003, the town board was dominated by Democrats for decades.

Best lost his seat in Tuesday's election, receiving the fewest votes.
Nagengast said yesterday she was "delighted" with the results. "I'm glad the voters have given me the opportunity to represent them on the town board," she said.

She attributed her win to campaigning to be the people's voice.

Nagengast said she thinks it's very important to move forward with the Town Hall renovation project, and that she is going to be gathering more information.
"Communication is key," said Nagengast.

One of the town's clerks, Nagengast said her first initiatives on the board would be to work on getting as much information on the town's website, such as the town's zoning ordinance and building permit; other ideas include installing computers at town hall and a bringing back a town newsletter.
While campaigning, she said, senior housing was a "hot topic." While senior housing is not something that can be accomplished overnight, Nagengast said, "Nothing's an insurmountable task."
"I'm excited," Nagengast said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Gage, who chairs Knox's Republican Party, said support for the GOP has gotten stronger in town in recent years. "Little by little, we've tried to wake up the Republican Party," she said.

When the town board makes appointments, such as for boards and citizens committees, Gage said, she will encourage the board to advertise and interview for the positions.

Gage doesn't think there were any issues that were crucial to the election's outcome. Members of both parties agreed on issues, such as cellular towers and wind turbines, she said.

In his first run for town board Democrat Jeff Landauer, an equipment operator for the University at Albany and a former Knox highway superintent, trailed closely behind Gage with 440 votes. Republican incumbent Best, who owns a convenience store in the hamlet, received 432 votes, eight votes fewer than Landauer.

A total of 38 Knox voters were issued absentee ballots, and the Albany County Board of Elections has received 21 of the ballots as of yesterday. They will be counted at the board of elections office on Russell Road in Albany next Thursday, beginning at 9 a.m., said Republican Commissioner John Graziano.

In the town clerk race, only 10 votes separate the candidates. Republican incumbent Kimberly Swain leads Democrat Deborah Liddle 483 to 473. Swain defeated Liddle, who held the post from 2000 to 2006, by just 50 votes in 2005. These, like other results in this account, are based on unofficial counts released yesterday by the board of elections.

In the supervisor's race, Democratic incumbent Michael Hammond, the town's supervisor since 1974, soundly defeated his opponents - Republican Mark Von Haugg, also his opponent in 2005, and Cheryl Frantzen, making her first run on small-party lines.

Hammond received 584 votes, Von Haugg 229 votes, and Frantzen 142 votes.

Republican Gary Salisbury, making his third run for highway superintendent, received the most votes of all Knox candidates with 931 votes. He was endorsed by both the Republicans and the Democrats.

In other races, long-time Democratic incumbent Delia Palombo defeated Karen Catalfamo, making her second run for the receiver of taxes, 541 to 432.

Democratic incumbent Linda Quay, making her fourth run for town justice, retained her seat by a solid margin. She received 665 votes, and her opponent, Republican Bonnie Donati, making her first run for office, received 314.