Murray town supervisor race too close to call

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2021 at 10:14 pm

Sidonio with slight lead over Bower in Murray; McKenna and Waters apparent winners in Barre

The Republican primary for Murray town supervisor is too close to call after polls closed tonight. The results will determined on Monday when absentee ballots are counted.

In Murray – the only race for town supervisor in Orleans County – Joe Sidonio is leading by 13 votes over Randy Bower, 263-250. Sidonio is the current supervisor and Bower, the retired Orleans County sheriff, is currently a town councilman.

There are 44 absentees turned in so far in Murray and 64 were sent out. There may be more than 44 to count if they are received by next Tuesday and are postmarked by today. The Orleans County Board of Elections plans to count the absentees on Monday, and will include any received more if they arrive on Tuesday, as long as the ballots are postmarked by today.

• In Barre, two candidates – George McKenna and David Waters – have stated opposition to the wind turbine project. They are the apparent winners with 163 for Waters and 162 for McKenna, over incumbents Tom McCabe, 146, and Lynn Hill, 145. McCabe and Hill both voted to change the town ordinance to allow for turbines up to 700 feet in height.

Barre has 13 absentees turned in so far out of 20 that were requested.

• In Carlton, Karen Narburgh received 101 votes for town clerk, compared to 66 for Dori Goetze. Narburgh has been the town clerk the past seven years.

• In Gaines in the primary for town justice, Charles Prentice Jr. received 146 votes to Henry Smith Jr.’s 48. Bruce Schmidt, the incumbent, isn’t seeking re-election.

• In Ridgeway, in a three-candidate race for town clerk, Hannah Hill is the overwhelming winner with 228 votes, followed by Laurie Kilburn with 75 and E.J. Cox with 16. Karen Kaiser, the current town clerk, isn’t seeking re-election.

Also in Ridgeway, there were three candidates for two open seats on the Town Board. Jeff Toussaint leads with 255 votes, followed by 249 for Cliff Barber. David Stalker, an incumbent, received 72 votes.

• In Shelby, three candidates were seeking two positions. Edward Zelazny has likely defeated one of the incumbents, William Bacon. The vote totals include 172 for incumbent Stephen Seitz Sr., 166 for Zelazny and 143 for Bacon.

There are 13 out of 38 absentees turned in so far.