ALBANY — Nominating petitions are filed at the county Board of Elections for races that will determine the next town supervisor, clerk and which party controls the Colonie Town Board.
For decades, Colonie was a Republican stronghold in the overwhelmingly Democratic Albany County, but Democrat Paula Mahan is looking for a sixth, two-year term this year and is running against Frank Mauriello, the Republican minority leader on the county Legislature.

On paper, the Republicans have the majority of the six-member Town Board, holding a three to two edge with one registered member of the Independence Party, David Rowley, who serves as the deputy supervisor and has Democratic Party support.
For a four-year term on the Town Board, the Democrats are running incumbent Linda Murphy and newcomers Brian Austin and Melissa Jeffers Von Dollen. The Republicans are backing incumbent David Green and newcomers Mark Mitchell and Christine Badger.
Also, in what is expected to be one of the races to watch this year in the Capital District, the two parties have put up formidable candidates to replace the retiring Town Clerk Liz DelTorto, a Republican who has held the

office for 20 years. Alison McLean Lane, a Democrat sitting on the Albany County Legislature who works as a staffer for Assemblyman Phil Steck, and Republican Julie Gansle, who has been clerk of the Colonie Town Court since 2000.
In addition to petitions for the major party candidates, candidates (or major parties) also filed paperwork to get their respective candidates on the minor party lines, which can be crucial in close elections (see below.)
“We did great. We filed more than 2,000 petitions and it’s a huge percentage over last year,” said town Republican Chairman George Scaringe, who began working in politics more than five decades ago. “Right now, we are on the outside looking in, but there are some issues out there and we expect to demonstrate why we can do a better job.”
The latest enrollment figures give the Democrats an advantage, 19,711 to 15,480, with 13,860 enrolled voters unaffiliated with a party. There are 3,176 enrolled in the Independence Party, 808 in the Conservative Party, 137 in the Green Party and 113 in the Working Families Party. There are also 42 Libertarians, nine in the Woman’s Equality Party and six in the Reform Party.
When Scaringe, who was Albany County GOP chair for some 23 years, first cut his teeth in local politics, he said the GOP dominated the town, outnumbering the Democrats by some 23,000 to 8,000.
“It’s a different electorate out there,” he said. “It’s forced both parties to find better candidates who want to serve the public and put the residents of the town first.”
On the flip side of the aisle, Democratic Party Chairwoman Ellen Rosano said the gathering of her party’s petitions went smooth this year too and expects the Democrats to continue the with the successes.
“The majority of people in town are happy with the way things are going,” she said, pointing to a recent survey by the Siena Research Institute which found most residents have a favorable opinion of living in town. “Obviously, you can’t please everyone, but if you have the majority giving a positive response then it’s a good indicator of how things are going in a town of some 84,000 people.”
She said there were just two people in the audience when the board passed Mahan’s budget and that most things that do come before the Town Board pass unanimously despite the split in political affiliation.
The issues expected to take front and center this year include traffic congestion, development, transparency, public safety, infrastructure improvements (or lack of depending on which party you are in,) the landfill, nepotism (perceived or real) and whatever else may come up on the respective campaign trails.
As expected, Republicans are inflating the problems – or at least the town’s role in creating them or not doing enough to solve them – and the Democrats are downplaying them.
The Democrats do not have candidates for either judgeship up for election this year – so Andrew Sommers and Norm Massry will run unopposed – or the receiver of taxes, a post held by popular incumbent C. Michelle Zilgme.
“I don’t think it will hurt our ticket. The judges and the receiver of taxes are long time, elected representatives and people know who they are,” Rosano said. “We have a great ticket and we have experienced people and younger people who are energized and who want to become part of the future of the town.
“The Democratic Party is about good, honest open government and I think the people see that and will continue to support us at the polls.”
The Republican commissioner at the Board of Elections, Rachael Bledi, said the petitions filed last week are still open to judicial scrutiny should a candidate or party wish to challenge their validity. Also, Opportunity to Ballot petitions are due on Thursday, July 20, which will open the primary ballot to a write in for those candidates who did not get a party’s permission to run on the line.
A write in is not an easy undertaking but the relatively few enrolled voters in the minor parties increases the chances of success in a primary and there are a few expected this year in Colonie, particularly in the race for clerk and Town Board.
The candidates in contested races and the petitions they filed are:
Supervisor:
Paula Mahan
Democrat and Women’s Equality Party
Frank Mauriello
Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform
Clerk:
Julie Gansle
Republican, Conservative and Reform
Alison McLean Lane
Democrat, Independence, Women’s Equality Party and Working Families Party
Town Board:
Melissa Jeffers
Von Dollen:
Democrat, Conservative and Independence
Linda Murphy
Democrat, Women’s Equality Party
Brian Austin
Democrat
David Green
Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform
Mark Mitchell
Republican, Conservative and Reform
Christine Badger
Republican, Independence and Reform