After claiming victory in a whirlwind primary, John Clarkson cruised to victory in the general election for supervisor in the town of Bethlehem.
According to numbers from the Albany County Board of Elections, Clarkson earned over 67 percent of the vote, totaling 5,987 ballots cast. Current town board member Kyle Kotary, who was defeated in a Democratic primary by Clarkson in September received 29 percent, or 2,611 votes. Working Families Party candidate Richard Reeves-Ellington received just under three percent of the votes for supervisor, or 252 votes.
Speaking to supporters at a Delmar coffee shop, Clarkson first thanked current Supervisor Sam Messina, saying without Messina and his wife, “this probably wouldn’t have happened.”
“The victory, in a real way, belongs to the voters of Bethlehem,” said Clarkson to a round of applause. “They said no to no choice, they said no to a mix of downright nasty politics.”
Clarkson widened the gap from the Democratic primary in which he defeated Kotary. The supervisor-elect also received nearly 1,200 votes on the Conservative line.
“We ran a good campaign,” said Clarkson. “People related to the message, which was simply about good professional government, sharing services, and modernizing government.”
Town Board
A four-way race for two seats on the Bethlehem Town Board turned out to be close, but in the end, Democrats Jeffrey Kuhn and Joann Dawson, the only incumbent in the race, secured enough votes to hold off Republican challengers Jeremy Martelle and Jeremy Near.
“My goal is to turn Bethlehem into a model of municipal efficiency and government,” said Kuhn. “If we implement some of the ideas we are talking about, we’re going to have a town government that the whole town can be immensely proud of.”
Kuhn earned 4,797 votes, or 29 percent, while Dawson came in second with 4,497, or 27 percent of the votes.
“One of the things that I hope to do is to see that we don’t give away the store,” said Dawson, referring to the town’s role in the growth of the Capital District, specifically at the Vista Technology Park. “This is a pivotal point in our history.”
Kuhn and Dawson were aided by their place on the Independence line, where each widened their lead over their challengers. Martelle finished with 23 percent of the vote, while Near finished with 21 percent.
“Moving forward, there’s a lot that needs to be done,” said Martelle, as he spoke about the need to develop a capital plan for the town.
“The town government needs to understand what their course is before they take their first step,” said Near, who stressed that the biggest issues facing the town are fiscal in nature.
Bethlehem Receiver of Taxes
Long-time Bethlehem Receiver of Taxes Nancy Mendick easily won another term in the position. Mendick collected nearly 57 perfect of the vote, compared to 43 percent for challenger George Harder.
Albany County Legislature
Incumbent Richard Mendick has won another term representing Albany County’s 36th Legislative District, which includes the southern portion of Bethlehem.
The Republican earned 56 percent of the vote, compared to 35 percent for Democrat Leo Dorsey. Former County Legislator Howard Shafer finished third with nine percent.
Legislators Herb Reilly, Tom Cotrofeld, and Charles Dawson, who all represent a portion of Bethlehem, all won re-election unopposed.
Check back to spotlightnews.com for more regarding Tuesday’s elections.
