Absentee Ballots Counted
By Doug La Rocque
Absentee and affidavit ballots in the Grafton Town elections were counted last Friday afternoon at the Rensselaer County Board of Election, with the Eastwick Press and several candidates in attendance.[private]Ingrid Gundrum increased her lead in the Supervisor’s race over incumbent Frank Higgins to 29 votes. At this point, Gundrum has 378 ballots cast in her favor to Higgins 349. There remain a few absentee ballots out, but not enough to impact the results. Grafton Democratic Party chairwoman Barb Messenger said, “the people have spoken,” and she and Higgins conceded the race. Gundrum is a registered Conservative who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines as well as Independence and Reform party ballots. Higgins was endorsed by the Democratic Party in his re-election bid. Supervisor-elect Gundrum said she is ready to “restore a working relationship between the Supervisor’s office and that of the Town Clerk.” She promises transparency and wants Grafton “to be a happy place to live.”
Gundrum will have a new Town Clerk to work with. Friday’s count gave Democrat Kathy Mason-Wagar a 380 to 343 vote victory over Jessica Crandall. Two new Town Board members will also be seated. Conservative Lisa Dooley, who also ran on the Republican line, garnered 402 votes. The other seat went to Democrat Eric Buckley, with 379 votes. Republican Jarod Bouchard and two term incumbent Barb Messenger finished third and fourth respectively. After Friday’s recount, Messenger said she wished to thank all those who have supported her over the years, and that she believes she is leaving the Town better off than it was. She also praised outgoing Supervisor Higgins as “the man who brought Time Warner Cable to Grafton.”
Messenger said, “Although my defeat in the November third election was bewildering, I am very proud of the things we have accomplished in the past 2½ years, most notably bringing Time Warner to Grafton and working with Kathy Marchione’s office to recoup FEMA funds and funding a new Grafton ambulance.”
Highway Superintendent Herb Hasbrouck and Tax Collector Mary Gentner were unopposed in their re-election bids.[/private]