.. November 9, 1983 Vol. XXVII. No. 45 The WE?ekly newspaper • serving the towns of I Bethlehem and New Scotland Upset in New Scotland, scare in Bethlehem LaFave beats Connolly Hoffmeister squeaks by In a stunning upset in New Scotland ballot. He has earned a solid reputation The races for the five county legislature New Scotland will have one Republi­ voting, 27-year-old Cynthia LaFave, a on the municipal bench with innovative seats in the towns of Bethlehem and New can and one Democratic legislator next newcomer to the town, defeated Repub­ disciplinary procedures with youthful Scotland ended the way they were year. In the 33rd District, which covers lican incumbent Kenneth Connolly for offenders. supposed to- four Republicans and one the northern third of the town, including town justice. Although both Connolly and LaFave Democrat won. Voorheesville, plus a rural section of Glenmont, Republican incumbent Mi­ LaFave, an Albany attorney, won by a conducted exhaustive door-to-door But in Bethlehem's 36th District, 27-vote margin in unofficial tabulations, campaigns, LaFave issued five bulk-mail Democrat David Sawyer nearly pulled chael Ricci had no trouble winning a ninth term. Partial returns from New thus becoming the first Democrat ever to flyers throughout the town, the most off a major upset, coming within 127 )- hold a New scotland elective office other aggresive assault on residential mail­ votes of defeating Republican Robert Scotland showed Ricci the winner over than that of town councilman. boxes in the town's history. The cam­ Hoffmeister. Voorheesville Democrat Edward Dono­ paign, devoid of issues, thus evolved as a hue, 1,401 votes to 795. Returns from The unofficial tally was 2,023 to 1,996 Unofficial returns from Republican Guilderland were not available at press pure personality contest. Party headquarters in Bethlehem- Tues­ in the town's seven election districts. The time. early returns did not indicate whether In the four-cornered race for two town day night indicated that the party had absentee and military ballots were board seats, Tice led the balloting with continued its dominance. In the 34th In the all-new 38th District, which included in the totals. 2,332 votes to 2,036 for Osterhout. District, incumbent Gordon W. Morris covers the southern two thirds of New Although he lost his bid for a seat on the handily defeated Democrat Ronald Scotland and all of the Town of Westerlo, Elsewhere on the ballot the voting ran a Democrat is the winner. Charles as expected, with town board incumbents board, Clarksville Democrat Sam Stein, Townsend, 2.315 to 991. In the 35th who also waged an aggressive mail District, which has for many years been Houghtaling, a well-known Feura Bush Kenneth Tice, Democrat, and Wyman merchant, topped Republican Ronald Osterhout, Republican, winning reelec­ campaign, out polled Republican Martha represented by the late Edward Sargent, Crisafulli of Voorheesville, 1,758 to 1,559 Republican James Ross of Elsmere Von Ronne, 1,616to 1,397. Von Ronne's tion by comfortable margins, thus 74-vote margin in New Scotland was not preserving the GOP's slender 3-2 margin in unofficial totals. buried Glenmont Democrat Thomas McCord after a spirited campaign. The enough to overcome the vote from on the council. Four years ago Osterhout led Tice by vote was 2,119 to 1,127. heavily Democratic Westerlo. All other Republican incumbents 170 votes in the four-way council contest. But in the 36th District, Hoffmeister In the reapportionment pushed through retained their positions as expected. Corinne Cossac easily won another just squeaked past the aggressive chal­ the county legislature last year by the Supervisor Stephen P. Wallace, a term as town clerk, defeating Democrat lenge from ·sawyer, L751 votes to 1,624. 'Democratic majority, the new 38th Republican,. was unopposed. Eileen Farley by 2,394 to 1,472 in unof­ Sawyer was the only Democrat to have District was designed as a rural Demo­ ficial totals. Political observers felt that a ) Connolly, an Albany attorney and the conservative line. cratic seat - Westerlo being balanced Voorheesville resident, was considered pamphlet put out by Farley attacking (Turn to Page 2) the most qualified candidate on the entire (Turn to Page 2) The bridge: close up it's an alarming sight The Rt. 9W bridge over the Norman­ However, bond issue or no, the bridge skill just won't go away - at least from is to be replaced next year, at a cost to the news pages. Last week state Depart­ state taxpayers of about $4 million, with ment of Transportation officials gathered another $2 million to be spent on widen­ newspeople at the bridge for an "inspec­ ing approaches to two new two-lane tion," using the badly deteriorated span spans. as a jumping-off point for more talk The DOT recently has done some about New York's need for a $1.25 billion maintenance work on the bridge to take bond issue that voters made a decision care of "deficiencies that needed imme­ about Tuesday. Results were not avail­ diate repair," according to David Cox, able as The Spotlight went to press. (Turn to Page 3) Sue Reilly Next step for Sue Reilly By Lyn Stapf The idea of a woman returning to school is certainly not an unusual one these days, but the story of one Voorheesville mother who recently returned to college iS far from ordinary. Sue Reilly didn't return to finish education she missed out on before her family came along. Even though strict college rules did not permit the former Susan Brqwn from finishing her last year at the College of Saint Rose after her marriage, Re1lly d1d pemst and obtain her degree a year later after the birth of her first child She also d~dn't r~turn to do something constructive with her free time. Beingth~ mother of mne ch1ldren between the ages of seven and 24 leaves little room for boredom. • She _didn't even feturn to learn some new and different skill- rather she began attendmg Hudson Valley Community College last year to become certified in a field she is quite familiar with. Sue Reilly went back to school to become a licensed funeral director. Married to town Councilman Herb Reilly, who with his father owns and operates two funeral homes, one in Voorheesville and one in Colonie, Sue says of her venture, .. It was something we always knew was coming. Since the birth of our youngest child I've assisted Herb with hair dressing and casketing." It was only logical, then, that with the acquisition of the Voorheesville establish­ ment, and with the state law requiring a licensed director at each location that Sue become certified in the field so that the elder Reilly could get some well:deserved free time. Bill Hadersbeck, left, a bridge inspector for the state Dept. ofTransportation and Dave Attending night courses and receiving credit for her previous education, Sue Cox, bridge engineer, use a "cherry picker" to show media reporters and photographers (Turn to Page 2) why the Rt. 9W span over the Normanskill has been posted for vehicles over five tons. Spotlight - Tom Howes Glenmont. "We knew it was an uphill D Legislature battle, and we just didn't quite do it." Bethlehem GOP in easy win He congratulated Hoffmeister, an Because the Democrats chose to (From Page I) Bethlehem Republicans, with only a administrator in the state Dept. of Motor feW town offices to defend this year, concentrate their efforts on a few races, against moderately Republican New Vehicles, for a "very honorable race. I got rolled to their usual impressive margins most of the town office holders - all Scotland. In effect; it replaces a seat lost to know him and like him." in Tuesday's voting. Republicans - were reelected without to the city in the last census. Although the opposition. Democrats waged serious campaigns in Councilmen Ruth 0. Bickel and W. Supervisor Tom Corrigan rolled up a Scott Prothero easily defeated their the other local districts, party registration o New Scotland record 8,080 vote in route to his fourth worked heavily against them. So the Democratic challengers, Barbara Smith two-year term. Town Clerk Marion (From Page I) and Daniel Sutherland. Unofficial results here do nothing to change the Camp received 8,013 votes, Highway balanc~ of power in the legislature. Cossac's job performance backfired in returns from Republican headquarters Superintendent Martin Cross 7,918. and gave Mrs. Bickel 6,697 votes and Pafty pros had their eyes turned to the what had earlier been shaping up as a Kenneth P. Hahn, receiver of taxes and Prothero 6,634 against 3, 788 votes for northern suburban towns, Colonie and close race. assessments, 7, 977 votes. All the Republi­ Smith and 3,606 for Sutherland. Guilderland, as the real battlegrounds for In other town contests, Peter Van­ can candidates also had the Conservative power in the legislature. Republicans had Zetten (R) defeated Donald Duncan (D), Town Justice Peter Wenger easily won line. hoped to pick up two or three seats by 2,384 to 1,504 for highway superinten­ a second four-year term, defeating Kevin Even by Bethlehem standards, the knocking off suburban Democrats. They dent, and Edita Probst (R) defeated Harren, 7, 156 to 3,371. election for town offices was quiet. The needed to increase their numbers by at Joanne Rich bart (D), for tax· collector, "I think it indicates that the electorate only Democratic candidate to raise issues least one in order to be able to block 2,544 to 1,313 in unofficial tabulation.