Winner declared in town supervisor race after ballots found in machine

There is an official winner this morning in the race for Lake Luzerne Town Supervisor.

This was one of the most contentious races in that region. Eight-term supervisor Gene Merlino did not get the endorsement of the Republican Party, so he waged a write-in campaign.

After the votes from election day were counted, Merlino trailed challenger Dan Waterhouse by 15 votes. After the absentees were counted, Waterhouse had a five-vote lead.

According to state law, a margin of fewer than 20 votes requires a total recount. When the county board of elections recounted, they found 14 write-in ballots that had been misdirected by the voting machine, so the county has certified Merlino the winner by a margin of eight votes.

Waterhouse can still challenge the results in court.