THE AT-LARGE RACE

We added some links over on the right. Albany Eye is particularly good, taking aim at the local media. It can be quite amusing and gets some good, inside dirt.

At-Large

Some numbers from the At-Large race.

The At-Large race was a bit of a surprise. Many thought that if a Democrat won, it would be LoPorto, despite the fact he lives in Brunswick.* However, even Henry Bauer acknowledged a few weeks before the election that Clem Campana was a good candidate and working hard. Marge's victory was no surprise. She's a popular, likeable lady, at least among the Democrats.

Henry Bauer. Only in Troy (maybe in Albany) could a disgraced judge win the most votes in a six-way race. It says something about Troy residents and their ethical flexibility (not unlike the remarkable dexterity of a Slinky).

The At-Large numbers are interesting. In 2003, all three Republicans won their seats with more than 4,600 votes each:

Dergurahian - 4,806
Armet - 4,738
Messick - 4,689

Damn impressive. This year, the top three Republican vote getters:

Bauer - 4,171
DerGurahian - 4,090
Armet - 3,694

How impressive was Bauer's win? Not very. He won, of course, and got the most votes of any candidate. Turnout was down and there were 4,000 less votes in the 2005 At-Large race as compared to 2003. In fact, Bauer received less votes than John Pattison, the fourth-place finisher in 2003. That makes Bauer's win sound less impressive. But that's not necessarily good news for the Democrats. Campana won his seat with just a few more votes than Rob Gregor won in '03 and Gregor came in last.

Despite the reduced turnout, the percentages changed very little. In 2003, Republicans won 54.6% of the At-Large votes. This year, they won 54% An insignificant difference.

Still, the Democrats offed another incumbent, Bob Armet.

Bob Martiniano went down to defeat. He ran a good race against tough odds, offered some smart ideas and we hope he isn't done with politics. It's quite common for people to lose their first race, especially an At-Large race. Hopefully, Bob will be back.

It was recently pointed out that Collier (District 6) is term-limited. [Correction: As pointed out by a reader, Collier is not yet term-limited]If the Democrats can hold their present council seats, they now have a shot in Districts 5 & 6 for 2007. Who knows what the landscape will look like then but 2007 may be one hell of a brawl.

* An exhaustive review of the charter shows that a candidate for office does have to live within Troy city limits. However, based on past practice, it was our understanding that the charter was more a set of non-binding suggestions rather than actual law.