Democrats win trustee spots in village
BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. >> Voter turnout Tuesday was nearly double that in 2015 as two Democrats were elected to the Ballston Spa Board of Trustees while an incumbent Republican judge retained his seat.
Democrats Shawn Raymond and Noah Shaw defeated Republican incumbent Ronald Henry and GOP candidate Bruce Coutoure for two seats on the board. Michael Morrissey kept his village justice seat, staving off a challenge from Democrat Erika Tebbens.
Tue sday ’ selection marked the first time in several years that candidates from both parties ran for seats on village government and for village justice. For many years, incumbents had run unopposed.
Union Fire Co. and EagleMatt Lee Fire Co. served as polling places, with residents living north of Kaydeross Creek voting at Union and those living south of the creek placing their votes at Eagle-Matt Lee.
The polls opened at 11 a.m. and closed at 9 p.m. Throughout the day, a small but steady trickle of people parked along the roads near the firehouses and wandered into the firehouses to place their votes. By 6:45 p.m., Eagle -Matt Lee had collected 396 votes, with Union polling station having collected 225.
Approximately 5,000 people live in the village, with about 3,000 registered to vote. The last election cycle – in 2015 – saw all but one incumbent running unopposed and an overall voter turnout of 411.
On Tuesday, Raymond, Shaw and Morrissey each collected more votes than the total number of ballots cast two years ago.
When asked why they thought there was such improved turnout over recent years, Shaw attributed it to the increased level of engagement on the part of the voters. Raymond agreed, adding that he and his fellow candidates began their campaigns early and reached out to more people through house parties, meet and greets and knocking on doors. He also said he thought the use of social media had a big positive impact on the campaign.
Raymond also noted the village demographic has become more diverse in recent years, both politically and generationally, something that he believes may have added to the win by two of the three Democratic candidates.
Shaw, an attorney who is employed by NYSERDA, was asked if being a part of “Cuomo’s camp” — a reference to the governor’s favoring of consolidating smaller communities into larger nearby towns — would influence decisions he made as a trustee on the village board. He said it was drawing a “false parallel” between himself and the governor because he is employed by a state entity.
“I’m here because I care about the long-term sustainability of the village and increasing its tax base,” Shaw said
He added that working to ensure the village’s longterm viability would forestall any future consolidation with neighboring towns.
Shaw said he would like to focus initially on increasing transparency, improving the village’s website and social media outreach efforts and working to actively engage residents in the governing and decisionmaking processes.
Tebbens said she would consider running again; however, she did not know when that would be or for what position.
“Overall, this experience has been amazing, and also stressful and tiring, but I am glad I did it and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” she said
As family, friends and election volunteers gathered in the village hall, Shaw’s 7-year old son, Charlie, reported that he told his dad earlier in the day, “Even if you don’t win, I’m still going to be proud of you because you got everyone talking about the election.”