Julie Gansle and Galen Heins are running for Colonie town clerk

COLONIE — Julie Gansle is running for her third two-year term as the town clerk against a political newcomer, Galen Heins.

Prior to being elected in a hotly contested match in 2017, Gansle, a Republican running with the Conservative Party line, was the clerk for the Colonie Town Court, one of the busiest in the state.

“I have the education and experience needed to provide the most compassionate and efficient service along with a record of public service the residents deserve and can count on,” she said in her campaign literature.

Heins, a Democrat running with the Working Families Party and the Colonie First Party, a newly formed ballot line, is the business director of an adult care facility.

“A commitment to service, teamwork, availability, and organization has served me well as a business director and will be valuable in my time as Colonie town clerk,” he said.

Gansle, a married mother of three, said that if she is re-elected she would continue to secure the resources needed to establish an even more efficient delivery of services such as expanding online capabilities.

Heins a father of one, said his top priority would be to be a source of information about local government, according to the League of Women Voters website, and his next would be to encourage people to get involved in local government.

The Town Clerk’s Office is the center of information for town residents. It is responsible for accepting, filing, recording and maintaining all municipal records. It also issues various licenses, permits and certificates to the public like marriage licenses, certificates of residency, dog licenses, handicapped parking permits and hunting and fishing licenses.

The two-year term pays $91,317 a year.

Early voting began on Oct. 23 and runs through Oct. 31. Any Albany County voter can cast a ballot at any of the following locations: