Local Board of Education vote results

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – On Tuesday, Capital Region voters came out in numbers to cast their ballots for local schools’ board of education members. These elections were unlike any in years past– issues like mask mandates, the COVID-19 vaccine, and the teaching of critical race theory, among other social issues, made the votes much more politically charged than usual. Results from school board votes across the region have slowly trickled in, and this post will be updated as they are reported.

Albany County

Bethlehem CSD

Tamara A. Starr received 2,146 votes
John Walston received 2,592 votes
Robert Tietjen received 3,072 votes
Douglas Lloyd received 812 votes

Robert Tietjen and John Walston have been elected to serve three-year terms beginning July 1, 2022. Both are first-time members of the Bethlehem CSD Board of Education.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo CSD

Residents reelected Board of Education President Matthew Tedeschi (309 votes) and member Rebecca Miller (312 votes) to new three-year terms on the school board beginning July 1, 2022. The two candidates ran unopposed.

City School District of Albany

Board members Ellen Krejci and Tabetha Wilson were re-elected to four years terms that will begin July 1. They ran unopposed.

Cohoes CSD

Three members were elected to the Board of Education: Nadia Carey will serve her second term and Sue Paradis and Marianne Gendron will serve their first terms. Their three-year terms begin July 1, 2022.

Green Island Union Free School District

Kirsten Mason: 65 votes
- Kirsten Mason (incumbent) was re-elected to serve a 3-year term.
Joseph Nolet: 64 votes
- Joseph Nolet was elected to serve a 1-year term.
The remaining candidates received the following number of votes:
- Carrie Becker: 39 votes
- Mary Wilmot: 32 votes

Guilderland CSD (Unofficial)

Ten candidates sought election for four open board of education seats. They are:

Kelly Person 3,005 votes
Gloria Towle-Hilt 2,969 votes
Katie DiPierro 2,908 votes
Kimberly Blasiak 2,871 votes
Barbara Fraterrigo 1,264 votes
Mark Reamer 1,132 votes
April McAllister 1,035 votes
Nicole Coonradt 1,027 votes
Jennifer Romano 982 votes
William Kearney 546 votes

The terms will be filled by the candidates with the four highest vote totals. Tuesday night’s vote results are unofficial and will be certified on Wednesday.

Menands UFSD

Voters approved the election of Elangovan Raman and Charles Luke to the Menands Board of Education. Raman will begin his term on July 1, with the term expiring on June 30, 2027. Luke will begin his term immediately, with the term expiring on June 30, 2023.

North Colonie

In the Board of Education (BOE) election, Mary Alber was selected for a five-year term and replaces the open seat of Paula D’Orazio.

Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk CSD

There were three positions on the RCS Board of Education up for election. Michael Deyo was elected with 553 votes, Edward Bedinotti was elected with 431 votes, and Jennifer Molino with 409 votes.

South Colonie CSD

Two candidates sought election to one open board of education seat to succeed Rose Gigliello.

Jeremy Rundell, 551 votes;
Rose Gigliello, 1192 votes

Rose Gigliello is set to begin her five-year term on July 1.

Two candidates sought election to one open board of education seat to succeed Michael Keane.

Michael Keane, 1159 votes;
Nicole Castelle, 588 votes

Mike Keane is set to begin his five-year term on July 1.

Voorheesville CSD

Argi O’Leary (754 votes) and Robyn Willoughby (743 votes) were voted to serve four-year terms on the Board of Education.

Watervliet CSD

Sheri Senecal was re-elected to her fourth term on the school board with 144 votes. Brian White was elected to his first term with 153 votes. Because Mr. White received the higher number of votes, he will serve a three-year term on the Board, beginning July 1. Mrs. Senecal will serve the two years that remain on a term that opened due to the resignation of a board member.

Columbia County

Chatham CSD

Board of Education Candidates:

Muriel Faxon: 366 votes 3-year term running July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025
Fred Hutchinson: 333 votes 3-year term running July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025 and will start May 18, 2022 to fill the unexpired term left vacant by the resignation of Craig Simmons.
Beth Hover: 322 votes 2-year term running July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024
Marianne Pierro: 288 votes 1-year term running May 18, 2022 – June 30, 2023 to fill the unexpired term left vacant by the resignation of Destiny Hallenbeck.

Germantown CSD

Residents elected Lester Olsson and Andrea Foley to the Board of Education. Candidate vote counts are below, in the order they appeared on the ballot:

Andrea Foley 210
Lester Olsson 271
Lynn Polidoro 203

Ichabod Crane CSD

Residents elected Matthew Nelson, Meghan Lafferty-Brown, and Elizabeth Phillips to the Board of Education. Candidate vote counts are below, in the order they appeared on the ballot:

Bill Schneider 611
Pat Schuler 564
Matthew Nelson 935
Jim Antalek 377
Meghan Lafferty-Brown 698
Elizabeth Phillips 899
Thomas Driscoll 581

New Lebanon CSD

The community elected John Kalisz, Charleen Kane, and Robert Long for a 3-year New Lebanon Board of Education term.

Fulton County

Broadalbin-Perth CSD

Residents voted to fill two seats on the Broadalbin-Perth Board of Education. Allison Goodspeed (356 votes) and Emily Behnke (231 votes) were both elected to serve five-year terms that begin July 1, 2022. Samantha Gallup (216 votes), Vincent Arcuri (190 votes), Jacob Dutcher (134 votes), and Lori Harlan (64 votes) were also candidates for the board.

Fort Plain CSD

Voters elected Kaitlyn Webb (93 votes) and Benjamin Trumbull (30 write-in votes) to the Board of Education for three-year terms running from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025.

Johnstown CSD

Voters elected William J. Stock (199 votes) and Marjorie Kline (187 votes) as write-in candidates to serve three-year terms as Board of Education members, filling expiring terms currently held by Joseph LoDestro and Patrick Oare.

Another seat formerly held by Christopher Tallon will also expire this year, but will not be renewed as part of the District’s plan to reduce the overall size of the board from nine members to seven — an initiative that was approved by voters in 2021. New York State’s Department of Education approved the District’s plan to implement the change in board size over a two-year span, which calls for the District to have an eight-person board for the 2022-23 school year and have a seven-person structure in place for the 2023-24 school year.

Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville

Dean Handy – 183

Neil Clark – 172

Sarah Reese – 75

Susanne Sammons – 212

Gretchen Pratt – 61

Wheelerville CSD

Three seats were open for the BOE. Jamie LaPort will be a returning member to serve another three years. We want to welcome Jennifer Abel and Amanda Meredith, as they will serve as new board members for three-year terms.

Greene County

Cairo-Durham CSD

In the Board of Education election, incumbent Todd Hilgendorff was re-elected to a three-year term ending in June 2025. Also elected to three-year terms are James H. McManus III and Cheryl Moore. See below for the full election results:

Todd Hilgendorff – 314
James H. McManus III – 216
Cheryl Moore – 212
Dermot Gavin – 202
Dale Handel – 189
Tonya Warner Frickey – 184

Catskill CSD

Patricia Dushane: 477 – three-year term running July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025

Lenora I. Freese: 314 – three-year term running July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025

Mary DeSimone: 284 – three-year term running July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025

Joseph Izzo: 265

Henry Haye: 223

Allan A. Couser: 194
Charles Benninger Jr: 126

Coxsackie-Athens CSD

Nicole Canning, Michael Donahue and Shelly West were elected to 3-year terms for the board of education. Tallies for the school board’s three open seats were:

Shelly West:

385

J.D. Fielding:

224

Nicole Canning:

524

Maureen Hanse:

370

Michael J. Donahue:

490

Edward A. Greenaway:

John E. Greenaway:

Samuel T. Anderson:

138

Tiffany Russo:

169

Jessica Vermilyea:

227

The three candidates with the highest votes will serve 3-year terms beginning in July.

Greenville CSD

Board Candidates (2 seats available; 2 BOE Candidates)

David Finch – 800

Elaine Dykeman- 60

Kevin R. Bucci- 442

S. Jay Goodman- 778

Dr. Glenn Yelich- 38

James A. Bucci III- 476

Greenwich CSD

5 Year Seat

Amy Wise Foster 539
Erin Boivin 358
Write-In Votes 6

2 Year Seat

Liv Thygesen 291
Thomas Powers 625
Write-In Votes 4

1 Year Seat

Colleen Burgess 347
Heather Mattison 554
Write-In Votes 5

Hunter-Tannersville CSD

BOE Seat (Five-year Term)

Andrea Benjamin-Legg 169-yes 12-Blanks Three-Write-Ins

Hamilton County

Long Lake CSD

Michael Farrell: Re-elected
Tara Murphy: Elected

Montgomery County

Amsterdam CSD

Three members were elected to new terms on the GASD Board of Education by the following votes:

JoMarie DiTata (344)
Lara Kulpa (300)
Wendy Swezey (263)

Canajoharie CSD

Two people were elected to the district’s board of education. Keith Baker and Heidi Meka will be on the board.

The voting breakdown was as follows:

For the person to fill the remainder of a five-year term running from July 1, 2022-June 30, 2024, the breakdown was as follows:

Keith Baker – Incumbent – 221
Stefanie Ackerknecht – 63

For the full five year term running July 1, 2022-June 30, 2027, the vote was as follows:

Heidi Meka – Incumbent – 156
Christopher Fatta – 71
Kirsten Tompson – 56

Fonda-Fultonville CSD

Two incumbents were re-elected to the Board of Education: Matt Sullivan with 220 votes and Bonnie Couture with 213 votes.

Rensselaer County

Averill Park CSD

Residents elected Adam Stewart, Meghan McGarry, and Samantha Hicks to the Board of Education. Candidate vote counts are below, in the order they appeared on the ballot.

Nicole Gendron 856
Adam Stewart 1,737
Jenaliegh Schroeder 483
Meghan McGarry 1,723
Darryl Borton 722
Samantha Hicks 1,604
Walter Spallane, Jr. 811
Ronald Gibson 551

Berlin CSD

Four candidates sought election to three open board of education seats.

Jeffrey Paine: 148 votes
Sherry Bowman-Kluck: 226 votes
Kimberly Collen: 217 votes
Andrea Beckwith: 245 votes

Brunswick CSD

School board members reelected:

Valerie Lee – 317

Leah Wertz – 294

Jack Roddy – 261

East Greenbush CSD

All three candidates on the ballot have been elected to three-year terms.

Jennifer O’Brien: 968
Michele Skumurski: 961
Emily Steinbach: 901
Write-In: 28

Lansingburgh CSD

Residents elected Talia Pallozzi, Jessica Vartigian, and Thomas Zakrzewski to three seats on the Board of Education. Talia Pallozzi and Jessica Vartigian were the two candidates with the highest number of votes and were each elected for a full 5-year term (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2027). Thomas Zakrzewski was the candidate with the third-highest number of votes and was elected to fill a currently vacant seat. Mr. Zakrzewski’s term will be for 2 years (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024) remaining in the term of the seat vacated by Robert Morris. Vote counts and candidate names are below in the order they appeared on the ballot:

Jessica Vartigian: 307
Catherine Curtis: 284
Jami Briggs: 220
Tina Rysedorph: 191
Thomas Zakrzewski: 296
Talia Pallozzi: 372

Schodack CSD

Residents elected Sherri Gibson, Angela Beber, Daniel Grandinetti, Shelley Palmer and Ashley Palmer to five seats on the Board of Education. Three of these seats were due to board member term expirations and two were vacant seats due to member resignations. Sherri Gibson, Angela Beber and Daniel Grandinetti were the candidates with the highest number of votes, respectively, and all were elected to a full a 3-year term (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2025). Shelley Palmer and Ashley Palmer were the candidates with the fourth and fifth highest number of votes, respectively, and were elected to fill the two vacant seats on the board. Each will serve an approximately 1-year term (May 18, 2022-June 30, 2023), which is the time remaining in the terms of the vacated seats. Vote counts and candidate names are below in the order they appeared on the ballot:

Angela Beber: 374
Daniel Grandinetti: 370
Shelley Palmer: 369
Sherri Gibson:382
Ashley Palmer: 336

Troy CSD

Three candidates were elected to the Board of Education for three-year terms effective July 1, 2022:

Ann Apicella (491)
Ebony Pompey-Conway (491)
Anne Wager-Rounds (526)

Saratoga County

Ballston Spa CSD

The Board of Education candidates: (Two seats – three-year terms)

Holly Barker-Flynn received 1363 votes
Law Ryan received 897 votes
Christopher Zeppieri received 621 votes
Jason Gurtler received 583 votes
Brody Savoie received 542 votes

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake CSD

Residents elected incumbent Jennifer Longtin to her fourth term and David Mitchell to his first term on the board of education. They received the two highest votes with Longtin receiving 1,569 votes and Mitchell receiving 1,528 votes. The other candidates running received the following number of votes Michele Draves, 202; Emily Walsh, 565; David Barclay, 476; Ben Riehlman, 521; Tom Bird, 407 and Melissa Barone, 526.

Corinth CSD

Five-year seats

Kelly Gilbert – 187
Danielle Freebern 199

One-year seat

Matthew Richardson 200

Galway CSD

David Page received 267 votes and was re-elected.

Schuylerville CSD

Voters elected Michael Bodnar to the Board of Education. Bodnar, who ran unopposed, received 424 votes. His five-year term will begin on July 1, 2022.

Shenendehowa CSD

Deanna Stephenson – 2,845 – elected to 3-year term
Tom Templeton – 2,479 – elected to 3-year term
Petra Holden – 1,904 – elected to 3-year term
Joseph Weber – 1,431
Jason Little – 1,389
Amanda Siska – 1,368
Jennyfer Gleason – 1,333

South Glens Falls CSD

Three of the four candidates for the board of education were elected.

John P. Leary, MD
Heidi Brennan
Thomas Kurtz

All terms will begin July 1, 2022.

Stillwater CSD

Residents elected William Callanan (359 votes), Amanda Cocozzo (329 votes), and Robert McCoy (249 votes) to the Board of Education for three-year terms to run from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025.

Schenectady County

Niskayuna CSD

There were four candidates for three seats on the Board of Education up for election this year, with the seats going to Cococcia, Tomisman, and Tully as the top three vote-getters. The three-year terms that they were elected to on Tuesday will begin on July 1 this year.

Here are the vote totals:

Judith Tomisman – 1,309
Elisabeth Cococcia – 1,398
Kimberly Tully – 1,227
Joseph Drescher – 1,044

Duanesburg CSD

Two Board of Education members were elected:

Sarah Gwiazdowski (498 votes)
Avis Sanchez (442 votes)

Mohonasen CSD

There were three candidates for two seats on the Board of Education up for election this year, with the seats going to McFarland and Laudano as the two top vote-getters. Here are the vote totals:

Chad McFarland – 794
Melissa Laudano – 631
Jason Bustelos – 394

Schalmont CSD

Board of Education Election:

Jean Hanson – 364 (Elected)
Miranda Eldridge – 328 (Elected)
Patricia Dowse – 304 (Elected)
Kyrish Iyer – 251
Phillip Contompasis – 250
Heidi Schilling – 198
William Wilday – 195

Schenectady CSD

Cathy Lewis and Vivian Parsons were elected to the board of education.

Cathy Lewis 925
Vivian Parsons 748
Kristen Holler 614
Emily Willey-Aulet 558

Schoharie County

Cobleskill-Richmondville CSD

Board of Education: Black (652 votes) was re-elected to the Board. Gagnon (608 votes) will begin serving a three-year term on July 1. The other candidates were Jessica Lawton (307), Victor Taylor (263), and Monique Thomas (79).

Middleburgh CSD

Voters elected Vicki Hoerz (244 votes) and Debra Bechtold (228 votes) to serve three-year terms on the Board of Education.

Schoharie CSD

Board Candidates Elected for 3-Year Term:

1. Terry Burton – 220 Votes
2. Daniel Guasp – 192 Votes
3. Tara Barton – 220 Votes

Sharon Springs CSD

Brandi Kerber: 83
Kelly Button: 48

There were also 5 write-in votes spread out over three names.

Warren County

Glens Falls CSD

Board of Education candidates Matthew Levin, with 518 votes, and Jason Rivers, with 461 votes, were elected to serve terms that begin on July 1, 2022, and last five years (through June 30, 2027). Candidate Randy Rath, with 444 votes, will serve a term beginning on May 18, 2022, and lasting through June 30, 2024. As the third-highest vote-getter, Mr. Rath will serve the remainder of the term held by David Dawkins, who recently resigned the position. Candidate Matthew Webster received 374 votes.

Hadley-Luzerne CSD

Gregory Novotarski- 172
Bruce Weiss- 181

Lake George Central School

Donna Prime, Mario Fasulo, and Maryanne MacKenzie were elected to the Board of Education of the Lake George Central School District for the term of July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025.