Noah Zweifel is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise at the conclusion of an especially combative election year, the Republican candidates in Berne's contested contests this week defeated all of their Democratic opponents, according to the unofficial election results. The upcoming absentee ballot count is likely to deliver the GOP an official victory. In the supervisor race, Republican Dennis Palow, currently the town’s deputy supervisor, beat Democrat Peggy Christman, 589 votes to 562. For full-term town board seats, appointed board member Leo Vane and newcomer Thomas Doolin both won. In all, the Republicans won about 55 percent of votes to the Democrats’ 45 percent. For a two-year town board seat, left vacant because of a resignation, Republican-backed Democrat and current town clerk Anita Clayton beat Democrat Tim Lippert, 648 to 499. In the highway superintendent race, Republican incumbent Randy Bashwinger won with 622 votes, besting Democrat Barbara Kennedy with 531. For town clerk, Republican Kristin Francis beat Jean Guarino, 614 to 525. In the uncontested town justice race, the Democratic incumbents, Albert Raymond and Alan Zuk, each received slightly more than 800 votes total. For tax collector, another uncontested Democrat, Debra Flagler prevailed, but 101 people wrote in Republican Kim Collins' name. For assessor, uncontested incumbent Democrat Melanie Bunzey will remain in office. Berne Democratic Committee Chairman Kevin Crosier seemed shell-shocked after the results were released, according to Zweifel. After running down a list of some of the major scandals that have occurred in the five years since the GOP started gaining control of the town government, he said, “I mean, everything they’ve touched, they’ve messed up. Maybe people think that’s good government." Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.