John Mason is reporting in the Register Star on the solid showing of Republicans in Columbia County in the General Election, Tues., Nov. 5. While Republicans were chanting victory tunes, Democrats were licking their wounds, he writes. The GOP retained the biggest prize of the night, the Sheriff’s Office, with David Bartlett’s win over Mike Winnie. He will succeed fellow Republican David W. Harrison Jr. The GOP also unseated a popular incumbent supervisor in Claverack, were leading in a tight race for supervisor in Taghkanic, retained the mayor’s seat in Hudson and resisted a strong challenge in New Lebanon. The Democrats unseated a Republican supervisor in Austerlitz and retained most elected posts in Hudson. Former Republican Assemblyman John Faso told the paper, “We had very good candidates, people worked as a team across the county to turn out the vote, and I think that showed on Election Day.” Cyndy Hall, chair of the Columbia County Democratic Committee, said, “I’m very, very disappointed at the loss of Robin Andrews as a supervisor [of Claverack].” Hall also expressed mixed feelings about the Hudson results. While encouraged by the outcome of the Treasurer and Common Council races, she was disheartened by Victor Mendolia's failed attempt to unseat Mayor William H. Hallenbeck Jr. Read the full story in the Register Star.