RECOUNT
Winner not yet declared in town highway election
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

The Erie County Board of Elections is recounting the votes from the Nov. 6 election for Town of Amherst highway superintendent after results left a margin of only 393 votes.

In all, 30,131 votes were cast in the race in which challenger Kathy Kaminski, a crew chief in the department, received more votes between the two major party lines than incumbent Bob Anderson.

Running on the Democratic line, Kaminski received 14,869 votes to Anderson's 12,484 votes on the Republican line.

Anderson gained a small lead with the assistance of his three other lines: Conservative, 1,280 votes; Independence, 861; and Working Families, 637.

The voting booths have been impounded for a recount, and absentee ballots can't be counted until 10 days after the election. Close to 1,300 absentee ballots were submitted.

During election night, Anderson watched as Republican committee members tallied votes, proving it was a closer race than many in the room had anticipated.

Party members chatted about the numbers, many saying they expected a close race but not as close as it was.

When the night ended, Amherst Republican Committee Chairman Marshall Wood had not declared a winner, as he had done in the other races.

Kaminski said as a first-time candidate, the votes speak for themselves.

"People aren't happy," she said, referring to the services being provided. "I got a lot of positive feedback when I went door to door for several months."

She entered the race too late to seek endorsements, she said.

"They say there could be mistakes with the votes," she said about the possibility of the recount and absentee ballots changing the current standing.

It has been a tough campaign for Kaminski, as her duties were reduced during that time, she said.

"I want to see the work get done, and all this other stuff come to a stop," Kaminski said, adding that communication between the superintendent, the employees and the residents needs to improve.

This past week the election had to be put on the back burner, Anderson said.

"We have a lot going on, tree planting and stump grinding and running the rest of the department. We have to get ready for winter," he said.

Anderson added that he is surprised by the results.

"It's close. I didn't like some of the tactics used at the very end. I tried to run a campaign above the board and have it be about the issues. But (the election) is on my mind; it's my job," he said. "According to the initial tally, I have won, I will continue with that thought process until the official machine results."

Representatives for the candidates will attend the recount, which was expected to take place Tuesday, although results were not available at press time.