Vote margin in Lake Luzerne CEO race narrows

QUEENSBURY | Absentee and military ballots have been counted in the election of a supervisor for the town of Lake Luzerne, and the vote count has moved closer to its conclusion. Mid-day Nov. 18, Warren County Election Commissioners Beth McLaughlin and Bill Van Ness reported that the vote enumeration in the race between incumbent Supervisor Gene Merlino and challenger Dan Waterhouse, a town board member, had narrowed to a margin of merely a few votes. As of Nov. 4, Merlino had 415 votes and Waterhouse had 430, but this gap shrank by Nov. 15 to a gap to 446-451 after absentee and military ballots were counted — five votes in favor of Waterhouse. McLaughlin and Van Ness said Nov. 18 that any election in which the gap in the ballot count was less than 20 votes apart, a state-mandated recount is triggered before an election is to be certified. Van Ness said that a recount of the absentee and write-in ballots would be conducted Nov. 19 before the election would be certified. Merlino, who waged a write-in campaign, said he'd be present for the recount, as he had been for the earlier tallying of the write-in ballots. Van Ness said he doubted that there would be a change in the outcome. Months ago, Merlino had announced his retirement — but after the town board members passed a "No Confidence" resolution regarding Merlino that cited various allegations of municipal misconduct, the embattled supervisor changed his mind and decided to challenge Waterhouse — the sole candidate for supervisor on the Lake Luzerne ballot — as a write-in candidate. Nov. 18, Merlino said that eight of the ballots bearing his name had been disqualified because voters wrote his name in columns designated for other positions, including the columns for county coroner and district attorney. "I did get more votes than the other guy," he said, noting that it was quite rare in the region for such a large number of write-in votes to be cast. "I'll still be objecting to the ballots being thrown out," he added. Asked about the election's pending outcome, Waterhouse said he was pleased that so many local residents voted. "I think it's a fantastic turnout to get over 900 people in Lake Luzerne casting votes — it was a great showing for our town — although for me, the vote was a little too close for comfort." Waterhouse said he was looking forward to launching new initiatives in town, including projects to upgrade sewer and water lines and to expand internet access — as well as updating the town master plan, and establishing a committee that would work to protect the water quality of the town's five lakes. He also said that it was vital to have a town-wide emergency action plan established, as any failure in the Sacandaga Dam would cause a massive flood, putting a good portion of the town entirely underwater. "The town board members are eager to move forward now," he said.

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Vote margin in Lake Luzerne CEO race narrows

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