In Colonie, Democratic incumbent Paula Mahan successfully defended her seat as town supervisor for another term against Republican challenger Christine Benedict. However, two new Republicans join the ranks on the town board with both Jennifer Whalen and Christopher Carey earning the last two seats behind incumbent Paul Rosano.
Mahan’s victory in the polls is immediately met with the addition of two new Republicans. With Republican town councilman David Green’s election to the board last year, the town board is now split evenly between the two parties. Whalen has already pledged to challenge the logistics of administering the town’s landfill, which was recently fined $500,000 by the Department of Environmental Conservation for exceeding waste limits. Whalen also expressed concern over the town’s Industrial Development Agency, and the troubles reported last year over its problems with reporting its financials.
Carey is expected to focus attention on the town’s emergency response services and police department, as he initially voiced concern over a perceived deficiency in the number of officers on the force.
Read our detailed coverage of Election Day in our November 11 editions.
Below is a breakdown of Election Day results. Below is a list of candidates running in contested races in Colonie. The number in parenthesis indicates the number of seats available for each position. An asterisk identifies that candidate as the incumbent.
Colonie Supervisor (1)
Paula A. Mahan* D, W 9848 votes, 54.57 percent
Christine M. Benedict R, C, I, Ref. 8184 votes, 45.35 percent
Colonie Town Board (3)
Paul L. Rosano, Sr.* D, C, I 10556 vote, 21.63 percent
Jennifer A. Whalen R, C, I, Ref. 9324 votes, 19.11 percent
Christopher J. Carey R, C, Ref. 8150 votes, 16.7 percent
Timothy A. Lane D, W, I 7906 votes, 16.2 percent
William E. Carl* D, W 7180 votes, 14.71 percent
Brian E. Manion R, Ref. 5660 votes, 11.6 percent