By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media

COEYMANS — The race for town supervisor is so close the results have still not yet been determined six days after Election Day and an automatic recount will take place in the coming days.
The election Nov. 7 was set to determine the town supervisor and two council member seats.
Incumbent Republican Town Supervisor George McHugh is facing off against Democratic challenger Stephen Donnelly. Incumbent Republican Town Council members Brandon LeFevre and Marisa Tutay faced challenges from Democrats Ronald Hotaling and Michael Stott.
As of Monday afternoon, all absentee ballots that were received by the Albany County Board of Elections had been tallied, but the deadline for the county to receive absentee votes is Tuesday, Nov. 14.
All absentee votes must have been postmarked by Nov. 7, but have until Nov. 14 to be received at the board of elections offices.
With all absentee votes received as of Monday, Donnelly was ahead by 25 votes, with 880 votes to McHugh’s 855.
Donnelly received 50.66% of the votes compared to McHugh’s 49.22%, so the race is razor close and an automatic recount will be generated.
The town council race is not as close, with the Democratic candidates in the lead. Hotaling had 885 votes at press time and Stott had 894, with Republican incumbents LeFevre and Tutay at 839 and 822 votes, respectively.
All results are unofficial pending recanvassing.
With the race so close, an automatic recount of all votes — both absentee and voting booth — will take place, according to the Albany County Board of Elections.
A date for the recount has not yet been scheduled, but it will likely be within the next week.
Incumbent Albany County Legislator Zachary Collins, a Republican, was re-elected with 1,144 votes, or 68.22%, to Democratic challenger Kristen Geoghegan’s 529 votes, or 31.54%.
The legislator’s race was a rematch between Collins and Geoghegan, who also ran for the same seat back in 2021.