Town of Cobleskill 2013 Election Results

The largest of the Town races sees a healthy fight for all four of the positions open, including the largest share of weighted votes on the County Board-- Tom Murray.

Town of Cobleskill

Supervisor

McAllister, Leo T	1007	71.4%
Murray, Jr, Thomas M	403	28.6%

Justice

Bywater, Gary	991	36.0%
Fiorillo, Dawn L	711	25.8%
Northrup, William	624	22.6%
Weiss, Marc	430	15.6%

Councilman

Montario, Elizabeth	901	35.7%
Mallery, Roger J	570	22.6%
Stevens, Bruce	537	21.3%
Williams, Ron	516	20.4%

Village of Cobleskill 2013 Election Results

Incumbent Mayor Mark Galasso sees stiff competition from Trustee Linda Holmes.

Village of Cobleskill

Mayor

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Holmes, Linda	497	62.1%
Galasso, Mark A	303	37.9%

Trustee

Snyder, Timothy	538	36.6%
Johnson, Kathleen S	528	35.9%
McDermott, Mark J	404	27.5%

Town of Richmondville 2013 Election Results

The Town of Richmondville sees Scott Bennett running in his third consecutive race for Supervisor.

Town of Richmondville

Supervisor

Lape, Richard T	421	66.5%
Bennett, Scott	212	33.5%

Justice

Needleman, Herbert

512

100.0%

Councilman

Lancaster, William S	359	31.4%
Maurice, Paul	346	30.3%
Hall, Vernon F	247	21.6%
Stahlecker, Zachary	190	16.6%

Highway Superintendent

Althiser, Keith G

490

100.0%

Town of Middleburgh 2013 Election Results

The Town of Middleburgh has no Supervisor's race this year, but has two council seats contested. Former Mayor William Ansel-McCabe failed in his attempt to return to the Town Board.

Town of Middleburgh

Clerk

Lawyer, Brenda J

265

100.0%

Councilman

Lloyd, David L	166	31.0%
DeFeo, Brian	163	30.4%
Ansel-McCabe, William	113	21.1%
Masterson, Sara	94	17.5%

Highway Superintendent

Nunamann, Dale C

248

100.0%

Town of Jefferson 2013 Election Results

Tonight's race in Jefferson pits Cassandra Ethington's closest ally Daniel Singletary against one of her victims, Sean Jordan.

Town of Jefferson

Supervisor

Jordan, Sean	245	57.0%
Singletary, Daniel I	185	43.0%

Justice

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Hait, Lynn	361	100.0%

Assessor

Sheehan, Greg

344

100.0%

Councilman


Cole, Ken

313

50.5%

Buck, Charles

307

49.5%

Town of Seward 2013 Election Results

The Town of Seward sees longtime Supervisor Carl Barbic facing opposition.

Town of Seward

Supervisor

Barbic, J Carl	312	59.4%
Bricker, Howard M	213	40.6%

Clerk

Southworth, Brenda

514

100.0%

Councilman

Kniskern, Daniel O	312	30.3%
Davenport Jr., Romine R	309	30.0%
Fletcher, George	222	21.6%
King, Charlene	187	18.2%

Highway Superintendent

Baxter, Bruce	318	59.6%
Chamberlain, Bruce	216	40.4%

Town of Blenheim Election Results

There are four races in Blenheim today, but only one is contested. This is the hotly watched race between Republican incumbent Bob Mann and Democrat Shawn Smith.

Supervisor

Smith, Shawn	70	52.2%
Mann Jr, Robert H	64	47.8%

Justice

Kniskern Jr, William J

90

100.0%

Clerk

Alley, Robin

103

100.0%

Councilman

Mattice-Strauch, Anne	106	52.7%
Graham, Keith	95	47.3%

Town of Schoharie 2013 Election Results

Cassandra Ethington's top rival Gene Milone faces off against her ally Martin Shrederis tonight. There is one Council seat open.

Town of Schoharie

Supervisor

Milone, Gene	591	61.7%
Shrederis, Martin	367	38.3%

Justice

Kennedy Sr, Frederick W

749

100.0%

Councilman

Brisley, Matt	627	37.9%
Tavenner, Alan	522	31.6%
Wolfe, John C	505	30.5%

Town of Wright 2013 Election Results

We see a contentious race after the death of Supervisor Bill Goblet.

Town of Wright

Supervisor

Remmers, Karl	320	50.2%
Bleau, Amber	317	49.8%

Clerk

Herzog, Lynn

577

100.0%

Councilman

Aulita, Thomas	346	29.1%
Karlewicz, George	342	28.8%
Williams, Kristin M	272	22.9%
Lavick, Beverly	227	19.1%

Highway Superintendent

Proper, Jeff

578

100.0%

Town of Sharon 2013 Election Results

The Town of Sharon sees no Supervisor race this year and all uncontested races.

Justice

Falsarella, Evelyn

438

100.0%

Councilman

Cross, David R	379	51.5%
Falsarella, Joseph F	357	48.5%

Town of Conesville 2013 Election Race

With Conesville Supervisor Michael Brandow retiring, there are many races open this fall.

Town of Conesville

Supervisor

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Federice, William Bill	197	65.7%
Noone, Joanne	103	34.3%

Clerk

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Sweatman, Nancy	238	100.0%

Justice

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Merwin Jr., David	239	100.0%

Councilman

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Proudman Sr., Robert	207	35.6%
Tubiolo, Paul A	195	33.6%
Riedl, Catherine J	124	21.3%
Hilliker, Tiffany L	55	9.5%

Councilman (to fill a vacancy)

Young, Gary M	150	51.5%
Sweatman, John	141	48.5%

Highway Superintendent

Young, Stephen M	145	52.0%
Brandow, Larry	134	48.0%

Collector

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Williams, Diane	200	67.1%
Hess, Irene L	98	32.9%

Town of Summit 2013 Election Results

Cassandra Ethington ally Harold Vroman is unopposed. Only one contested Council seat this year.

Town of Summit

Supervisor

Vroman, Harold L

278

100.0%

Justice

Town of Summit Town Justice

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Cole, Ivan D	246	100.0%

Councilman

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Handy, Brian C	217	49.9%
Kovac, Fern M	210	48.3%
Beller, Richard	8	1.8%

Town of Fulton 2013 Election Results

Longtime Supervisor Phil Skowfoe is facing stiff competition from Councilman Frank Tatten. There are multiple competitive races this year.

Town of Fulton

Supervisor

Democrat                                          - Phillip Skowfoe 50.2% 214
Republican, Conservative, Ind.        - Francis Tatten 49.8% 212

Highway Superintendent

Republican, Conservative, Ind.         - William Jaycox Jr. 100% 383

Town Justice

Democrat                                           - Charles Shoemaker 46.4% 185
Republican                                         - Ronald Jeffer 53.6% 214

Assessor

Sherwood, George	318	78.7%
Avitto, JoAnn	86	21.3%

Councilman

Hodder, Albert	244	30.3%
Rhinehart, Dean	218	27.1%
Kahrs, Janet	191	23.8%
Krol, Deborah M	151	18.8%

Voter Turnout High Across County

Update (6:24 pm): Turnout is reportedly over 800 in Schoharie, which if accurate, indicates they have already 2011's results beat with three hours to go.

Reports of a higher turnout then in 2011's off-year election are streaming in from across the county on the Schoharie News facebook page, although the effects of Hurricane Irene have to be taken into consideration when comparing totals from the Valley.

 

While we have heard reports of it being busy in both Broome and Cobleskill through out the day, one reader commented that over 500 voters had cast their ballot in Middleburgh at three pm, while another said she was #219 in Summit at two pm, both of which are almost two-thirds of 2011's totals with after-work voters still yet to be counted.

The feeling around the political water cooler is that voters are more active and interested in participating this cycle, due to both the fluidity of county politics this year and increasing anger caused by the contents of Fitzmaurice and those accused of wrongdoing in its contents.

 

As we are trying to guesstimate voter turnout, we would appreciate any input from our readership and ask that you either comment on this article or email us at aaaabraves@yahoo.com with your number or stories from the ballot box.

Ethington Camp Makes Final Push as Lawn Signs Come Down

The Todd Ethington campaign is hoping to push the candidate over the top today with some last-minute efforts to drive out voters. Mr. Ethington has been defiant, posting on his Facebook profile Friday:

Okay People for Todd Supporters, they just threw in the last hard attack. This is not slowing me down. Win or lose this behavior they are saying is politics can not be tolerated anymore.

Supporters of Ethington have also been pushing back, commenting or liking comments explaining that Mr. Ethington is still the best candidate for Sheriff. High-profile support still comes in from Mr. Singletary of Jefferson and past and current Middleburgh Fire Chiefs Brian and Michael Devlin.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ethington has launched two large initiatives. He's mailed out a new placard to undecideds, hoping to sway their vote. Meanwhile, he has intensified his ground game, visiting thousands of houses himself.

Meanwhile, across nearly every part of the County, Todd Ethington signs are disappearing off of lawns. Since the Report broke the number of Ethington signs has decreased, although hundreds are still across the yards of the County.

Perhaps the most controversial fusillade comes from Mr. Ethington's Conservative Party, which sent out four thousand mailers to the households of voters. The card excoriates Bill Cherry and his allies running for Supervisors, all of whom oppose Mr. Ethington's bid for Sheriff and were supporters of releasing the Fitzmaurice Report.

These last minute moves are sure to move the needle as turnout is now key. However, whether this will be enough for Ethington is likely doubtful. However, the added votes could give his allies running for Supervisor just enough to retain significant power on the County Board of Supervisors.

Cobleskill Race to Determine County Board Future

The Board of Supervisors, with its 2,974 weighted votes divided between sixteen Town Supervisors, could witness a fundamental shift in power today with twelve municipalities choosing between two or more candidates to not only lead their local government but to represent them county-wide. 

None of which could have a greater impact then the race between Cobleskill incumbent Supervisor Tom Murray and Republican challenger Leo McAllister. Today's victor will hold 481 (16.2%) of the board's weighted votes and his vote alone could either pass or sink any measure that comes before county government. This holds especially true with the board's vote to elect a new chairman in January. 

Mr. Murray, who recently appeared in a advertisement with seven other supervisor candidates that make up the conservative faction and if they are all successful would control over half of the board's weighted vote, stands as the bulwark of this coalition: providing almost one-third of their overall support and their control of the county's economic hub. 

As such, the race in Cobleskill not only represents a stark contrast between Supervisor Murray and Mr. McAllister, a local business owner who has served his community in a variety of positions, but it will decide the direction of county politics in regards to the board's handling of Fitzmaurice's recommendations, tax policy and the future of Schoharie County government and whether we learn from the mistakes of the past three years. 

Cobleskill voters have a difficult, yet clear choice to make in today's election: do they stand with the incumbent and his tri-partisan faction that is seeking to regain control of county politics, or do they stand with the opponent that is a soft spoken, polite businessman and who will bring a sense of moderation to a board that has far too long been embroiled in controversy.

Opinion: No Choice But to Re-Elect Gene Milone

Simply put: there is no other logical choice for Schoharie residents other than incumbent Supervisor Gene Milone. Since his election  two years ago, Mr. Milone has consistently stood on his principles with complete disregard for party identification or whatever status quo existed on the county board prior to his arrival, instead focusing on the needs and welfare of Schoharie County's residents as a whole.

Mr. Milone, who initiated the Fitzmaurice Report by his motion almost twenty-one months ago, has fought what can only be considered a Goliath sized campaign in not only seeing the report through to its inevitable conclusion but also in its complete and damning release - with the end result being Personnel Director Cassandra Ethington's suspension and the discovery of several supervisors working in collusion with her to assist her takeover of the county Health Department.

After weeks of personal indecision on whether to endorse in the Town of Schoharie, due its contentious nature and the poisonous details of the report's release, we simply could not sit on the sidelines after putting together the final piece of this entire puzzle which pointed towards former Schoharie Supervisor Martin Shrederis as being among a conspiracy of supervisors that worked in coordination with Cassandra Ethington's reign of terror. 

As such, the Schoharie News would like to endorse Mr. Milone's re-election bid and encourage every voter in Schoharie to hold their ballot high for the incumbent's principled, honest leadership in the fight to reform Schoharie County politics, regardless of its political costs to himself... And to remember the words of his opponent in our interview published last week that "amount of money [spent on the report] is a waste," and that the report is nothing more then a "witch hunt."

Conservative Party Mailer Blasts Cherry, Supervisors for Report

Just hours after the Board of Supervisors voted to release the damning details of Fitzmaurice's second portion of their controversial report, opponents of Treasurer Bill Cherry and leading supervisors that were behind the report's initiation and subsequent release sent a massive mailer to thousands of residents blasting the aforementioned as being apart of the "good old boys club," urging no votes against Fulton Supervisor Phil Skowfoe, Seward Supervisor Carl Barbic and Schoharie Supervisor Eugene Milone.

The mailer accuses Mr. Cherry and the aforementioned supervisors of attempting to "control patronage in the county by funding a "Report" that targets their political rivals - employees of the county." It goes on to claim that "they released the report 2 weeks before Election Day, hoping it would sink their rivals," concluding in large red print that "their plan backfired."

Although difficult to read in the picture above, it states tellingly that the mailer was "Paid for by the Schoharie County Committee of the Conservative Party of New York State."

Anti-Incumbent Fervor May Prevent Ethington's Firing

Cassandra Ethington will be on the chopping block in next month's hearing, but there could be a severe issue about whether or not she would actually be axed. If the Board of Supervisors receives a stay in the meeting and it is delayed until late December Cassandra Ethington may be untouchable.

The question of how this would even be possible comes to light.

Much of it comes from electoral math. Voters are rightfully angry with the Board of Supervisors, but this anger against the Board as a whole may allow certain Ethington allies to win on Tuesday.

Ethington's closest ally Dan Singletary of Jefferson is almost certainly going to be defeated on Tuesday, but his less than 2% of weighted votes on the Board is almost insignificant during the firing process.

If the largest share of weighted votes represented by Cobleskill can stay in the hands of Ethington ally Thomas Murray, nearly 50% of the Board's votes are in the Conservative Party's backing.

Meanwhile the former Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Harold Vroman of Summit, has no opposition.

The entire balance of the Board of Supervisors would then come down to the third-largest share of votes-- and the balance of the majority. This is the Schoharie race between the first voice for the investigation that brought down Cassandra Ethington, Gene Milone and Conservative Party-backed Martin Shrederis.

If Shrederis, a known associate of the Ethingtons, wins on Tuesday along with Murray, enough votes could keep Cassandra Ethington in her job-- perhaps on extended suspension with pay. Beyond this, there is the possibility that the new majority would open hearings to try and discredit the findings in the Fitzmaurice Report.

Voters want incumbents gone, but it appears that many of the problems in the County are not based on incumbency, but rather candidates' relationships with Todd and Cassandra Ethington.

Board of Elections Complaint Alleges Push Polling in Jefferson Race

Disconcerting allegations of push polling and deception in the Town of Jefferson Supervisor election have made their way to the Schoharie County District Attorney's office after a initial complaint was filed with the Board of Elections on Tuesday afternoon.

The complaint, which was forwarded to the District Attorney's office on the recommendation of both the county's election commissioners (GOP Chairman Lewis Wilson, Democrat Chairman Clifford Hay), alleges that a poll being conducted by CSI Campaign Research was intentionally skewing their questions to create a negative portrayal of Republican Sean Jordan and the nature of his separation from county employment.

According to details the Schoharie News learned off the record and were confirmed by one of the election commissioners in a phone conversation earlier this afternoon, the poll asked a series of three questions - the first of which concerned the emergency broadcast system, followed by one that asked if the participant would vote for Supervisor Dan Singletary if he proposed a 0% tax increase, with the last asking if the respondent would vote for Mr. Jordan if they knew he was fired from his county position.

The last section is what spurred one recipient of the survey to file a complaint with the Board of Elections, due to the fact it untruthfully claimed that Mr. Jordan was fired from his position as an Economic Development Assistant when in reality he was layed-off in December 2011. Mr. Jordan later sought reinstatement in Jordan v. Schoharie County, accusing Alicia Terry of wrongful termination based on "personal animus," but was denied.

Neither the Board of Elections nor the Schoharie News has been able to discover any information on the alleged polling firm in the complaint, which now awaits further investigation by the District Attorney's office.