COLONIE — Town Clerk Julie Gansle and Receiver of Taxes Michele Zilgme, two Republican incumbents, coasted to victory on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Gansle won a third two-year term by defeating political newcomer Galen Heins, a Democrat, by an count of 12,266 to 7,384, according to unofficial results from the Albany County Board of Elections.
Zilgme has held her position since 1997. This year she beat back a challenge by Democrat Leroy Robinson by a count of 12,588 to 7,105, according to the BOE.
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.
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.
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 town clerk is a two-year term that pays $91,317 a year.
Prior to becoming the town’s receiver or taxes, Zilgme worked in the Latham Water District. She was first appointed to the post when her predecessor retired and then elected every four years.
The receiver of taxes is a four-year-term that pays $90,755 a year.
