Town of Conesville Write-In Votes Add to Hwy Superintendent Election Bizarreness

Last month's unusual Town Highway Superintendent race in Conesville between Democrat Stephen Young and incumbent Republican Larry Brandow, which resulted in a tie that the Town Board will have to decide on in January's organizational meeting, just got a little bit more bizarre with the County Board of Elections final results being published earlier this week.

According to the results almost 8% of the Town's electorate, or 20 voters, wrote-in their own choices for the Highway Superintendent position rather then support either Mr. Young or Mr. Brandow, with eighteen of those ballots going to a Town of Conesville employee by the name of Paul Hilliker - who also received a vote for County Coroner.

There were no more than a handful of write-in votes in the county Sheriff's election or in the various Town Supervisor races, but as if everything was meant to align perfectly in this scenario, there were more than enough in an election where just one vote could've changed the entire outcome and settled the question who will serve as head of the Town's Highway Department almost a month ago.

Add in the absentee ballot that was disqualified, due to its applicants unfortunate death, in addition to the Town of Conesville's indecisive citizenry, and the eighteen write-in votes for Mr. Hilliker just fit in with the bizarre nature of this election, which will be held again next November by New York State law because the Town Board has to appoint someone to fill the position and a special election is not an option.

Stay tuned for further developments in this continuously evolving story.