By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer
It’s official.
Daniel Crowell will be the next Otsego
County treasurer.
A final tally of votes Tuesday in the race
between Crowell, a Democrat, and Republican
Edward Keator Jr. show
Crowell winning the race,
6,305 votes to 6,149 votes.
“It’s a challenging budget
year to inherit, but I am
thrilled and honored at the
opportunity to work,” Crowell,
34, of Middlefield, said
Tuesday night.
Crowell picked up three
votes from the previous unofficial
results reported by the
Otsego County Board of Elections on Nov. 13.
Keator kept the same tally. The previous results
did not include military ballots, which
were added to the final outcome Tuesday.
There were four write-in votes, including
two for Chuck Baldwin, the 2008 Constitution
Party presidential candidate, and
one each for Tom Ryder
and Tom Briden.
Crowell received 50.63
percent of the vote to Keator’s
49.37 percent.
Preliminary results on
Election Day showed a
five-vote margin between
the two. That lead grew
by 54 votes during a recanvassing
of voting-machine
results that
uncovered a series
of small reporting
errors. When
634 absentee ballots
were counted,
Crowell held a 140-
vote lead Nov. 13.
Crowell said
that for the last
two weeks, he has
“quietly and unofficially”
started the transition process
by meeting with outgoing
Treasurer Myrna
Thayne _ who lost a primary
to Keator _ board
members and department
heads.
Crowell said he aims to
put politics aside and do
what’s best for the county.
“I view this as a nonpolitical
position,” Crowell
said.
With the county having
a majority of Republicans,
Crowell said he needed
GOP voters to cross party
lines to support him.
“In that sense, I see it
as a bipartisan victory,”
Crowell said.
Crowell said he is open
to receiving advice from
Keator about how best to
manage the county’s finances.
Keator worked in
the treasurer’s office for
about two years before
leaving last spring.
Keator did not immediately
return calls for comment
about the official
results Tuesday.
Crowell has said
that if elected, he
would prepare financial
summaries
for the county going
back 10 years,
as well as five-year
projections.
“I can’t snap my
finger and make it
happen, but it’s a
very high priority,” Crowell
said, adding that he
expects to have that work
complete by the end of
the first quarter of the
county’s fiscal year, which
starts Jan. 1.
The county’s proposed
2010 budget, filed last
week by Thayne, calls for
increasing the property
tax levy by 11.11 percent.
The Board of Representatives
is considering a
$114.6 million tentative
budget.
___
Jake Palmateer can be
reached at 432-1000 or (800)
721-1000, ext. 221, or at
jpalmateer@thedailystar.
com.
